


8 Idiots, 4 Weddings

by Chelsea_Handler, KatXXX213



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Everyone Panics for Each Other Despite Bullying, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Feelings Realization, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Gay Panics, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Jealousy, Jongho is Trying His Best, M/M, Mutual Pining, PD-nim is the only one we trust but not really cause angst, Parents Raising Children while Also Raising Children, Parents are Trying Their Best, Pining, We Got Marrried AU!, Wooyoung and San are a Mess, Yeosang Shit Talks for Half the Show, Yunho and Mingi are the only ones who have their shit together, idol cameo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-03 06:55:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 38,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24466810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chelsea_Handler/pseuds/Chelsea_Handler, https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatXXX213/pseuds/KatXXX213
Summary: In South Korea, the idea of gay marriage is something most citizens could never think of. As advanced as the country was, progression in social thinking didn't match, and most were left still fighting for their rights to love who they love.So you can imagine the shocker when We Got Married returns with the boldest move on television yet. And this time, ATEEZ has the attention of the entire nation hoping for change.Inspired by the show We Got Married, ATEEZ 2020 Edition!
Relationships: Choi Jongho/Kang Yeosang, Choi San/Jung Wooyoung, Jeong Yunho/Song Mingi, Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa
Comments: 82
Kudos: 403





	1. Prologue

_"8 makes one team! Hello, we are Ateez," the eight boys said together once the camera started rolling, and the director had given the signal._

-

"Well, it's official. We're going to be on the show 'We Got Married," Hongjoong says as soon as he walks into the living room where most of the other members were.

"We are?" Mingi asked his mouth full of the fried chicken that Yeosang probably ordered.

"Yah! How many times do I have to tell you not to fucking eat in the living room? You always make a mess." Seonghwa says as he enters the living room. He heads straight towards Mingi, only to rip out the drumstick in his hand and shove it back into the box.

"Right… well as I was saying, we're going to be on 'We Got Married.'"

"What is that?" Jongho asked as he tried to grab a piece of chicken only to have his hand smacked away by Seonghwa.

"It was a top-rated show a while back. You're too young to know about it. It's where two idols get randomly chosen to act as a married couple for five months. They picked us for the show's comeback. Something about a 2020 edition and us being the perfect group. Also, for exposure for our comeback."

"Cool, so who are we getting married to?"

"I got told we'd find out the day of the first shooting," Hongjoong said, shrugging as he grabbed a chicken drum and ran to the kitchen before Seonghwa could say anything.

-

_"Do you guys know why you're here today?" the producer asked as she looked at the eight boys staring at him._

_"We're getting married!" Mingi says excitedly._

_"Yes. We decided to bring the show back, and we picked Ateez as our first idols. There's a catch this year, though."_

_All eight boys made the same 'oh' expression. "What's the catch?" Seonghwa asked._

_"Well, instead of giving away who your significant other will be, we'll have you guys play a little game! You will find out who you're going to marry at the end. So," the PD gave them a broad smile, and Hongjoong noticed the slight upturn of her lip._

_"Are you ready?"_

_All the boys nodded excitedly, with a chorus of yelling, "Yes!"_

_The PD clasped her hands together. "Great! We'll reveal everything tomorrow, and we'll send you to the location of the game and split you up into two different groups. Group A will be Yeosang, Wooyoung, Seonghwa, and Mingi. The rest of you will be in Group B. See you all soon!"_

-

"What do you think the game's going to be?" Mingi asked later that night. 

The group sat around the living room with the t.v playing a random documentary Jongho found about lions. 

"I don't know, but I hope it's not something gross," Yunho said while playing footsie with Yeosang next to him on the couch.

Mingi hummed to himself as he watched a mother lion attack a gazelle. "Who do you think we're going to marry? Maybe they'll match us up with another girl group."

"I don't know, but I hope it's Twice sunbaenims," Wooyoung said. 

"Isn't there nine of them?"

"Polygamy is a thing."

They all collectively threw a pillow at Mingi, who yelled at the onslaught. "Hey! It's a real thing-"

“Be quiet, you tall imbecile.” Yeosang shushed him. 

In the background, a small baby lion let out its first roar, and they all cooed at the little noise. 

Feeling his muscles ache a bit, Hongjoong decided to get up from the loveseat and shuffle around. "I'm gonna get some water. Anybody want anything?"

They all waved him off, mumbling something about lions being more important, so he chuckles and makes his way towards the kitchen. He was looking around for the glasses and cursed under his breath when he looked up to find them at the top shelf of the cabinet. 

_Damn it, Mingi._

Pursing his lips, Hongjoong got on his tippy toes to reach for the glass, his fingertips just barely reaching when he felt a presence on his back. A new hand grabs the same glass he was reaching for, and Hongjoong turns around to find Seonghwa right in front of him. He can't help the blush on his face as the older stares down at him with a smirk. 

"I could have gotten that," Hongjoong says with a pout. He takes the glass and fills it up with water from the pitcher, glancing at Seonghwa, leaning back on the kitchen counter. 

"Of course, you could."

 _Bastard._ Hongjoong rolls his eyes because, _of course, this bitch wants to undermine his height._

Still, he leans back on the counter next to him while taking a sip, passing the glass to Seonghwa, who does the same. "Are you ready for tomorrow?" Seonghwa asked while staring down at the water.

Hongjoong hummed, crossing his arms. "I mean, it's all just pretend, right? Who knows, maybe it'll be fun."

Seonghwa places down the glass to turn to him fully. "You know, this is going to be the first time all of us won't be around each other all the time. And you know how the kids get." They glanced at the others, who were now watching the mother lion chase after a giraffe. 

_"Look, it's Jongho after Mingi."_

_"Hey! I'm not a giraffe!"_

_"I fully support that mother lion."_

Hongjoong laughs under his breath while shaking his head. "I'm sure the kids will be fine." Then he turns to Seonghwa. " _We_ will be fine. Don't worry too much."

Seonghwa stared at him for a few moments, then nodded his head. "Okay, I trust you."

And Hongjoong widened his eyes for the briefest second before mumbling, "Thank you."

"What's taking you guys so long? Are you two making out?" Yunho yelled.

"Ew! No! Hyung, that's gross!"

"Ex _cuse me-"_

"Hello?" Yeosang motioned to Jongho, who's eyes haven't budged from the t.v. " _Minor?"_

And yeah, Hongjoong thinks. He's sure they'll be fine.

-

_The next day, the boys were separated into two different cars and driving to the location of the game._

_Before they drove off, Wooyoung waved at the other car jokingly, saying, "Bye! I won't miss you!"_

_He ignores the middle finger thrown at him as they all leave for the destination._

_*_

_Yeosang stared out the window as the busy streets slowly turned to greenery, and the roads got smaller as they entered a residential area. After they made a left turn at a hand signal, the other boys with him were awed as they entered a large garden with hedges that reached about a hundred feet._

_The other car disappeared when they took the opposite turn, so they were left winding down the gravel road until they reached an opening with the PD standing with her hands clasped behind her back._

_They got off the car and lined up to bow to her, and the PD giggled at their politeness._

_"I'm glad you all made it! Now, shall we get started?"_

_"Wait," Mingi held up his hands as he stared intimidated by the monstrous hedges lining up four different lanes. "We have to go through_ that _?!"_

 _"Yup! For you to find out who's your spouse_ **_(gender equality fuckers)_ ** _to be, each of you is going to enter a lane and navigate your way through the maze following the highlighted route on the map. You all have your colors, so follow the map of your lane as you go until you reach the end."_

_Seonghwa stared at the path ahead, his face highlighted in yellow next to the corresponding lane, and let out a tiny sigh that he hoped the mic didn't catch._

_The four boys moved to stand in front of their lane, each with different thoughts running through their heads._

_"Please let her be hot please let her be hot." Mingi clenched his eyes closed as he shook his fists to the heavens._

_"Please be someone that cooks please be someone that cooks," Wooyoung muttered under his breath._

_"Emma Watson Emma Watson Emma Watson Emma Watson." Yeosang glared at the path ahead, forcing his energy into the universe._

_Seonghwa, on the other hand, glanced at his other members before turning back to his lane. The PD was explaining the rules of the game to the audience, but Seonghwa was deep in his head to listen to half of what she said._

_"On the count of three, I'll ring the bell, and off you go to find your partner. Ready? One!"_

_"I can't believe we're actually going through a maze," Wooyoung said._

_"Two!"_

_"I hope whoever gets me can tolerate my ass-"_

_"Yeosang language!"_

_"Three!"_

_Seonghwa let out a breath, mumbling to himself. "I hope she can keep up with me."_

_The bell rang, and the four boys went off and welding deep into the maze._

_*_

_Yunho followed his red trail and kept glancing at each direction just in case there was any clue._

_They all understood what the game was for, but there was no clue on sight even to tell them who their partner might be and was left following their personal trails. While his body followed the red lane, his mind was occupied with a million thoughts running through his brain. He kept wondering who his spouse might be since last night, the young idol lying on his bed idling with his thoughts keeping him up._

_For a quick second, a particular face pops up in his mind, but he immediately shook his head. That train of thought would lead him to dangerous territories, and he wasn't about to spend his maze trail mulling over_ that _thought._

_As he went deeper in the maze, Yunho passed by signs that were telling him he was getting closer, and that he was so close to the end._

_Taking quick strides, he gulped down that momentary feeling of anxiety when he reached a brand new turn, with a sign that read "The Search Ends Here."_

_With a deep breath, Yunho took the turn and ended up at an opening with a huge marble fountain in the middle, the clear water shimmering from the blue sky above. On the other side, he sees an opening with the red lane leading up to the same place, and he exhales slowly. He stands awkwardly near the fountain, not knowing what to do with his long legs until he hears footsteps slowly approaching him. Standing still next to it, he clears his throat a bit and lets out a huge smile, hoping it will put the other person at ease._

What he doesn't expect is Song Mingi appearing right before him, who stops just a few feet away when he meets his gaze. Words get caught in Yunho's throat as the other slowly walks up to him as if he was a caged animal.

_"Yunho," he breaths out, no tease in his voice. Instead, Mingi's eyebrows furrowed as he stared at Yunho with confusion._

_"Mingi, I-"_

_Suddenly, a new voice appears out from a secret passage that opens up to reveal one of the staff._

_"Congratulations! We have our first couple, Song Mingi and Jung Yunho!"_

_The staff member cheered for them, but Yunho stood shocked as Mingi stared back equally as surprised._

_"Oh fuck," they muttered together._

_*_

_Wooyoung had been a bit nervous ever since the beginning of their maze endeavors. None of them had a clue as to who their partner would be, and as much of a social butterfly as he was, he had some limits. He was hesitating, and he knew it. He wasn't even walking at a normal pace, and he was way too sluggish. The blue path seemed too long and too short all at once._

_The dread sort of kept building with each step he took, he hoped it was someone who he relatively knew. All too soon, he saw the sign in bright blue with large letters that spelled out "The Search Ends Here."_

_He stopped for a moment. He had to settle his mind before coming face to face with his wife. He took a few deep breaths as he tried to calm his thoughts. He could do this, he was social, and it would be easy to get along. Wooyoung knew that, but he still hesitated. The moment he turned into the clearing would mean being without the members for five months. Too late to go back now, and he really shouldn't keep his partner waiting for too long._

_With one last deep breath, Wooyoung took the turn that ended up leading to a huge marble fountain in the middle. On the other side, he sees an opening with the blue lane leading up to the same place next to the path that Mingi had taken earlier. Mingi was nowhere in sight now, though. He walked closer to the fountain and took a peek inside. There were hundreds of different kinds of coins inside; hundreds of wishes sat there. Without giving it much thought, he searched his pockets for loose change, and lucky enough. He found a coin in the bottom of his front jean pocket._

_He held the coin in between his hands and brought it up towards his face. He closed his eyes as he quietly whispered, "Let this 'marriage' work out" and then tossed the coin in the fountain._

_"Wishing for your bride to be?" An all too familiar voice said from behind. "Sorry to disappoint, but I think you'll have to settle for me."_

_Wooyoung turned around, only to be met with Choi San standing a few feet away from him, giving him a wide dimpled smile._

_"San…"_

_Before either could say any more, the recording crew popped out of a secret path._

_"Our next couple has officially found each other! Congratulations!"_

_The cheers from the staff faded away, and as Wooyoung looked at San, all his anxiety seemed to fade away too._

_*_

_Jongho wasn't one to fear anything. Truth be told, he was the first one to do anything risky or scary. This, though, this he feared. In his 20 years of life, this was the first time he would be doing something like this, and it wasn't something he even wanted to do._

_It scared him that he would be getting married to some randomly selected idol. They gave them no clue as to who would be waiting for them at the other side of their designated lanes. He had watched Yunho and San go in, and it would be his turn any second. He looked towards his left and saw Hongjoong, who gave him a small smile and a thumbs up for encouragement._

_The PD then signaled for him to make his way down the pink path that was in front of him. With a deep breath and one last look at his hyung, he walked into the maze._

_He slowly followed the pink path. It matched the flowers that grew on the shrubs. It was beautiful, the sun was bright, and there was a gentle calm breeze that shook the leaves on the bushes as well as removed some petals from the flowers. There were a few bees here and there, but the buzz helped calm his heart that beat faster and faster the closer he got to the end of his path._

_He honestly wished he didn't have to do this. He would've preferred to be back at the dorms eating chicken, watching whatever his hyungs put on the TV._

_The path got shorter, and he could see from a distance the last turn that led into a clearing. A few more strides and he would be meeting his wife. He would have to care for her instead of being the one who was cared for. He would never admit it, but he liked being babied by some of his hyungs, one in particular popped into his head, but he couldn't dwell on it because there was only one turn left. The pale pink sign with white words "The Search Ends Here" came into view. A whole new world awaited him the moment he walked past that sign._

_It was wishful thinking that this would be the end of the path and that his partner would be waiting for him to find her. Instead, he was met with a large marble fountain, and on the other side, he saw the continuation of the different colored paths. He saw his pink path and walked around the fountain about to walk in when he saw a shadow getting closer._

_He stopped in front of the opening, waiting patiently for his spouse to appear. He was a bit nervous to see who it would be, and he hoped she would be okay with him. He kept his eyes up, gaze determined as he waited._

_No amount of clues could've prepared him for the person he saw. His breath hitched, and if he had been paying more attention, he would've noticed that his heart skipped a beat too._

_"Hyung…"_

_"Jongho?" Yeosang said just as confused as they looked each other up and down as if to confirm that it was really them standing in front of the other._

_"Congratulations to our third couple! They have finally found each other!" The camera crew said, startling the two from behind them._

_The staff cheered from behind them, but both boys remained unmoved, both shocked and confused. However, even with all the shock and confusion, Jongho couldn't help the relief that flooded him when it dawned on him that his hyung would be the one he would be with for the next five months._

_*_

_Seonghwa stood in front of the yellow lane with a slight shake of his fingertips._

_After a few minutes, the PD motioned him to go with a smile, and he went in as the last person of the maze. For some reason, he couldn't help but feel like whatever was waiting on the other side of this quest was going to strike him. As fake as the entire show was, he couldn't shake off his nerves._

_The yellow path had him taking different turns, each with a sign reading how close he was getting to the end. He was getting closer and closer to the goal, and he clenched his fists to keep his tension to himself._

_Reaching the final sign, Seonghwa takes the last turn and faces a large marble fountain that stood tall in front of him. When he looks down at the ground, he could see all the arrays of footsteps that stepped around the structure, and all the colored paths that led to this center._

_He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't hear the approaching footsteps from the matching lane, but he did hear the gasp from the other person that it made him look up._

_His eyes widened as Kim Hongjoong came forward in front of him, the smaller staring back at him with surprise written all over his face. And just like that, Seonghwa's nerves just went away as his leader released a tiny (nervous?) chuckle. "I don't know if I should be thankful or regretful."_

_Seonghwa snorted as he gazed down at Hongjoong. "Think you can keep up with me?"_

_Hongjoong grinned. "Of course."_

_"Congratulations!" The two jumped at the sudden voice from the PD as they appeared from a secret passage with other staff. "We have the last of our couples!"_

_Behind her, the staff cheered for the final pair, and Seonghwa and Hongjoong stood silently beside each other, wondering what the fuck did they get themselves into._

_*_

_"By now, you all know what the plot twist of our comeback is." The producer said as she looked at all eight members who were gathered in front of the marble fountain. "We will head to our next location where each of our couples will be revealed, as well as interview each couple. The reasons as to who you were paired up to will also be revealed."_

_Their first part of filming had officially come to an end. Now, they sat once again in the vans in the respective group they had initially headed to the maze with._

_The silence had been deafening._

_Each member was still a bit in shock at the massive turn of events that happened just moments ago. They were now headed to some house they had rented for filming the reactions of each couple. They hadn't discussed who paired with who yet; in fact, none of the members of each group knew. They weren't allowed to know because part of the fun, as the PD had said, was seeing the genuine reaction of each member when they discovered who was paired with who. Each of the members was trying to wrap their heads around it all. It was definitely a lot. Had their company been aware of what they agreed to? Were they okay with this being the outcome of the show? It was all definitely bizarre. The nerves were in the air, and it was almost palpable. That heaviness only grew the closer as they neared their next location._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! My friend @Chelsea_Handler and I had this idea together and we've been building on it for a while so now it's here! And what better way to appreciate same love than in the month where we celebrate people of all orientations and backgrounds, and to cherish those precious to us no matter who they are. This fanfic will be light-hearted but may touch on sensitive topics relative to today's era, especially in a country like South Korea. Please let us know what you think, and we'll see you in the next chapter!
> 
> Warning: beware of slow updates!
> 
> <3 <3


	2. Chapter 1

_ They finally reached the new location, which was at a beach house just a few meters from Busan beach. The drive was a little long, which prolonged the nerves in the cars, but the members stared in wonder at the waves crashing in the water when they exited the vehicles. _

_ "Come on in, everyone!" The PD called out to them. _

_ One by one, the members filed into the large beach house that had a grand opening through the double doors. They were welcomed by a spacious living room and an open kitchen with screen doors opening to the backyard. The furniture had a modern taste, with the walls painted a light beige and white color to make it brighter from the light coming through the window. _

_ They took their seats at the plush white sofa, awkwardly finding a way to seat each other. Yunho and Mingi, especially, sat at opposite ends of the couch, looking away from each other. But the other members didn't notice.  _

_ Sat on the other side, the PD said with a smile, "I'm sure all of you are very confused with what's going on, but this season of the show is going to be the biggest one yet." _

_ There was a dramatic drumroll in the background. _

_ "For this season of We Got Married, you're going to be marrying...each other!" _

_ As if cued, a bunch of mini streamers popped, and the staff cheered behind her as the cameras captured the boy's shocked faces. Wooyoung yelled out while Yunho faked the amazement on his face while his insides pulled uncomfortably.  _

_ Seeing each of their faces, the PD giggled behind her hand. _

_ "I know this must be shocking for you as no other show has done this before, but we believe that a group that rises to challenges such as yourselves can show a new side people have never seen before." She gives them a warm smile, knowing where the slight tension in the air was coming from. _

_ "The people of South Korea have been witnessing a lot of change in the past few years. Some changes more... _ personal _ than others." Mingi pursed his lips as he caught her tone. _

_ "And we thought, what better way to show change than have a season dedicated for it?" _

_ The members oohed in wonder, some of them shaking their heads in disbelief.  _

_ "This is a lot to take in, but I know all of you can handle it." _

_ One of the staff members came from a hallway and was hauling in a whiteboard that had the members' faces separated in pairs together, followed by drawings of them in houses. Yunho, Mingi, Yeosang, San, Wooyoung, and Jongho simultaneously pointed at Seonghwa and Hongjoon's overblown heads next to each other, "I KNEW IT!" Wooyoung yelled first. _

_ "You knew? I've been saying it for years, years!" Mingi yelled back, puffing out his chest. _

_ "Yah!" Hongjoong yelled as his entire face turned red, then he turned his head toward Yunho and said, "I'm so sorry you got stuck with  _ that _." Hongjoong made an apparent gesture towards Mingi, completely missing the slight blush that worked its way up Yunho's neck only to settle on his cheeks. _

_ "Excuse me?!-" _

_ "You're excused."  _

_ "I- you know what, I hate all of you." Mingi said, turning back towards the PD, "Can I apply for a divorce now?" _

_ The PD burst out laughing behind the camera as soon as the words left Mingi's mouth, "You can divorce in five months." _

_ "I say again, Yunho, I'm so very sorry you have to marry that… please make him sign a prenup." and all of the other members nodded their heads in agreement as Mingi stared at all of them with disbelief. _

_ "Well, now that you all know who's paired with who, we have to tell you the housing arrangements shown on the board." She motioned to the houses on the board with the pairs of faces. _

_ "Surrounding this house are four other houses that are set up for each of you to reside in for the next five months. Where we are now in the main house is where everyone gets together for interviews. Tomorrow, We'll have you guys be sent your way to each house and start your new life as a couple." The PD looked at each of their faces with a smile and clasped her hands together.  _

_ "So, are you ready?" _

*

" _ Are  _ we even ready for this, hyung?"

After getting home from the shoot, the members sat around the living room table again and shared similar concerns to Hongjoong. The small leader wasn't fairing well either, sitting with crossed arms and sighing to himself.

"I mean, this could be great exposure for us in South Korea. And we've already done well internationally." He pointed out.

"But hyung, this isn't us performing on stage. We're pretending to be  _ married _ , with each other even." Jongho argued. His mind was already conjuring up images of what marriage with Yeosang was going to look like, but he quickly shook his head to shake away his thoughts.

Hongjoong looked at each of their faces, seeing the uncertainty in their eyes, and he let out a sigh. Even he wasn't sure about any of this himself, especially when the problem was much more  _ personal  _ than not.

After a few moments of silence, it was Mingi that spoke up from his seat on the couch. "Gay marriage isn't even legal in South Korea, much less  _ liked  _ by most of society." He hugs the small pillow to himself as a certain flicker crosses his eyes. "If we do this, aren't we just...you know?" Mingi shrugs, but Hongjoong catches the small look on his face. "Queerbaiting?"

"What's queerbaiting?" Wooyoung asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"It's usually when businesses or media market for gay people but don't actually represent them," Yunho answered matter-of-factly. The other members looked at him with wide eyes, but Yunho just shrugged. "What? I know about it from a friend," he defended himself, flicking dirt off his nails.

"And that's...bad, right?" Jongho asked. "That doesn't sound like a great thing to do at all."

And it wasn't, and Hongjoong knew that. He's seen it countless times when he's on a stage with other idol groups, and they put on their professional fake smiles as they hug another idol, angling their faces a sure way to the cameras. 

Sometimes Hongjoong wants to laugh at how ridiculous the entertainment industry was. It was like an out of body experience, witnessing the fake laughs and half-hearted hugs that outsiders from their world wouldn't see. 

When he glances up, Hongjoong finds Seonghwa staring at him with a look he can't decipher and looks away, hoping he wasn't blushing. 

Then, he's hit with an epiphany.

"Rather than being it queerbaiting," he starts, gaining the member's attention. "How about we actually represent change?"

He catches the glance between Yunho and Mingi but continues. 

"I've been reading some of the comments online, and a lot of people are excited about this. Especially in the LGBTQ community. We've always told our fans that we're on their side, so shouldn't we show that to them?"

Hongjoong hoped he sounded encouraging enough, despite his insides shaking from what they were committing. 

"If we're scared of even being on the show, imagine the fans who've lived in hiding for  _ years _ ." He has flashbacks to fans who have thanked him for being there, for helping them feel like they weren't on their own in this country. Hongjoong feels something lurch in his stomach, knowing how much good they could do with this opportunity. 

Suddenly, Yeosang speaks up. "I say we go with it." 

They all looked at him with surprise, but Yeosang just shrugs non-committedly. "I mean, Hongjoong hyung's right. What if we can normalize these types of relationships with people? Fake or not on the show, gay people in other countries  _ do _ get married, so this isn't something new."

"Plus, maybe this will be a good bonding experience for us," San speaks up for the first time. "None of us are strangers, so then this marriage thing might be easier than in the past seasons." 

"So...we're really going to do this?" Wooyoung looked to Hongjoong, eyebrows furrowed. "We're going to get fake married?"

Instead of answering him, Hongjoong looked back to Seonghwa, who sat with his back against Yunho's legs. Seonghwa locked their gazes in a silent match. Then he asked with a straight face, "You trust us, right?"

"Of course," Hongjoong answered instantly.

"You trust yourself too?"

Hongjoong got taken aback, but Seonghwa's eyes were unwavering. "Do you?"

All the boys had their eyes on him now, waiting for his answer. Hongjoong knew that as their leader, no matter how much they acted like brats, his word was final. They looked expectantly at him, waiting for him to say something. And even though they've been set for the show, they needed to know if things would be alright. 

With a tiny nod, he smiles. "I trust in us together."

*

_ "We're ready, PD-nim," Hongjoong said.  _

_ Her eyes widened slightly, not expecting the determination in his eyes. Not even in the other boys, who looked just as ready. As if they weren't about to make history. _

_ "Alright then! Bring out the chest!" _

_ Coming from the hallway, one of the staff members brought in a large golden chest and set it on the table between the group and the PD. They stared in awe at the broad chest while the PD giggled behind her hand. _

_ "Well, boys, to follow your theme of pirates, we'd thought a chest that held in all your missions would be appropriate." The PD said while the boys nodded in understanding. "We'll have one of each couple come up and randomly select one of the scrolls inside the chest. Before we get to that, though, I want to talk about a few other things." The PD had a playful expression on her face as she looked at the confused emotions of the members. _

_ "As you know, there are certain traditions… going on dates, buying a house, proposals, first kiss, missions, and marriage, amongst other things. Currently, the only tradition we aren't following is the house since you're all assigned to one already. As for the other traditions…" The PD paused for dramatics, suspenseful music would be edited in the background before airing. _

_ "Each couple will complete the same mission, which is different from the treasure chest missions. We'll start with dates followed up by the proposal, and the rest will be revealed as the time for each mission approach. And to make things a bit more fun, each couple has to propose better than the last-" _

_ "Let us go first, PD-nim!" Wooyoung yelled as he raised his and San's hands in the air cutting off the PD. the other members gave Wooyoung a bewildered look. "What? Everyone knows that going first takes off the pressure, plus if you go first, you set the bar." Wooyoung said, shrugging his shoulders. _

_ The PD quietly chuckled before clearing her throat, getting the attention of the boys back. "Sadly, Wooyoung-ssi, we have already decided on the order. The couple going first has three weeks, three weeks to go on a few dates, and then propose. Of course, we'll secretly give one of each pair the task to propose." the PD once again stopped allowing the cameras to gauge the reaction of the eight boys sitting on the plush white sofa. _

_ "The couple going first…" all eight of them sort of leaned forward, they were at the edge of their seats. They all wanted to be first, but at the same time, neither wanted that kind of pressure, and it would be the first time after all. After 10 seconds of straight silence, the PD decided to end their suffering once they all started fidgeting. "Yunho and Mingi!" _

_ Yunho chokes on his saliva as Mingi shoots his fist in the air, jumping up from the couch.  _

_ "YES! Guess who's about to raise the  _ bar  _ in this b- I mean show!" He caught himself before cursing out, thankful as he glanced at Hongjoong's pinched face towards him. _

_ All the staff laughed out loud, and the PD shook her head amused. She patted the chest and pushed it towards them. _

_ "First thing tomorrow, before you each go to your respectful houses, one from each pair will come back to this house to get their mission. You can decide then who can go." _

_ From the corner of his eye, San caught Wooyoung's glance, and the two shared a quick grin. _

_ "Let's do this!" San yelled. _

_ "Alrighty, then, your new adventures start tomorrow! And from the bottom of my heart," _

_ The PD looks at each of their faces, catching a glimpse of the future.  _

_ "I hope this fun experience will carry with you for a long time." _

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're hoping we did this chapter justice. As you can probably tell, this story is going to bring in a lot of social issues that may get heavy, but don't worry, we're still going to have a lot of light and fluffy moments between the members. Thank you for waiting patiently for the update, and the next chapter will come up soon. Please leave a comment if you want and tell us what you think!
> 
> Until next update! <3 <3


	3. Chapter 2

Yunho was fifteen when he first met Mingi.

He doesn’t remember what first drew him to the other. Yunho guessed it was because of how easy-going Mingi was in _all_ sense of the word. The other male always had a reason to laugh and had a carefree smile on his face most of the time. As a jokester himself, it was no surprise that they became two peas in a pod that found each other while finding themselves while pursuing a career, like two chaotic puzzle pieces that just matched.

Being with Mingi was easy.

What Yunho _does_ know is when it started not to be.

“Yunhooo,” Mingi whined, laying on the floor and panting from the dance routine. “Can you pass my water bottle, please?”

The said male, who was looking for his water, turned to Mingi to tease him when he paused at the sight of the other. 

Mingi laid in a starfish position with sweat dripping down his neck and face. The white shirt he was wearing became damp and lifted off just a bit to reveal pale skin underneath. He looked flawless like that. It made the words die in his throat, and he was too mesmerized by Mingi that his throat constricts with an unfamiliar feeling.

“Yunho?” Mingi said, raising his head a bit and looking in Yunho’s direction. “You okay?”

“Huh? Oh, sorry.” He blinked a couple of times before he walked towards Mingi’s bag and gave him his bottle. Mingi caught the dazed look on his face as he thanked him while taking a sip. He slowly gets up to meet eye-to-eye with the other dancer and waves a hand over his face.

“Yunho? You there?”

It wasn’t that Yunho wasn’t registering Mingi. It was just that for once, there was a fluttering feeling that was settling in the closer Mingi got to him. He subconsciously took a step back once Mingi stepped closer.

“Y-yeah, sorry,” Yunho cleared his throat, and with a louder, more sure voice, he spoke again, “I’m here.” He goes back to his bag and packs all his stuff, feeling Mingi’s gaze at his back. He’s afraid if he turns around, his chest will do that _thing_ again.

“Let’s go back to the dorm. I’m tired.”

And Yunho walks out, hearing Mingi’s footsteps following behind. Just as they exited the building, Mingi’s fingers locked with his, and he turned to the other. Under the dark lighting from the lamp posts, Yunho could still see the deep blush on Mingi’s face.

_Pretty._

“You don’t mind, right?” Mingi asked.

That same feeling he got back when he was just _looking_ at Mingi came back, except it was stronger now. Yunho was a bit scared that maybe Mingi could feel his pulse speed up, or feel the sweat on his fingertips.

_This is weird. It’s supposed to be weird. Why doesn’t it feel weird?_

“Yeah, it’s fine.” He mumbles. When he tightens their fingers together, Yunho keeps his gaze forward as they walk back to the dorms. If he glances to the side and catches Mingi smiling while staring at the ground, he doesn’t speak a word. 

*

“Yunho?” Hongjoong said, breaking Yunho out from his little walk down memory lane. 

“Hm?”

“We’re here. Meaning, we sort of have to get out of the van.” Yunho finally noticed his surroundings. The ride back from Busan was a long one, and he had spent the entire time thinking back to him and Mingi. He quietly got out of the van, head down, wanting to avoid the questioning gaze Hongjoong was giving him. Just as he was about to pass Hongjoong, he felt a grip on his wrist.

“Yunho…” Hongjoong started, eyebrows furrowing “listen, I know… what we’re doing is a bit tough, but you can _talk_ to me about anything. I’m not _just_ your leader. I’m your friend too.” Hongjoong let out a small sigh as he let go of Yunho, “don’t bottle everything up, okay.”

Those words provided comfort to Yunho, and with a small smile, he nodded at Hongjoong, “I’m okay hyung, just tired, but if-no, _when,_ I need to talk, I’ll go to you.”

*

Move-in day came faster than any of the eight members thought it would. They were given a week to pack all their essentials, and now four U-haul trucks stood outside their dorm, waiting for each couple to load their boxes. They brought their clothes, music equipment, books, and a few other things to make their homes feel more like home. It was weird for each of them to see their dorm so empty. It seemed like the two years they put into the house had just disappeared. 

Once the last box, which of course was Mingi’s, was put into the U-haul, the members made their way to the van that was waiting to take them to their new homes. Seven of the eight members got accounted for, and the only one left was Hongjoong, their leader.

Hongjoong took one last look around their house before making his way toward the front door. “See you in five months,” Hongjoong whispered as he closed the door and made his way towards the van.

*

The U-hauls headed toward the homes where each couple would be residing for the next five months while the van stops at the main house. Only one of each couple is supposed to go in now. Yunho, Hongjoong, Yeosang, and Wooyoung head towards the house while the rest of the boys head toward their homes. 

-

_The four boys walked through the foyer and passed the living room into the open backyard that has the most amazing ocean view as well as a massive pool, and, “Is that a jacuzzi?” Wooyoung asked._

_“Yeah, that’s definitely a jacuzzi,” Hongjoong answered with awe in his voice. They definitely couldn’t get this back home in Seoul._

_“Welcome! Today, we decided to do the missions outside to change the scenery up a bit, plus the weather is so warm it would’ve been a shame to let it go to waste.” The PD said, stepping out from behind them. The cameras had already set up, but they weren’t recording just yet. “So, the four of you will be drawing today?” The PD asked, and the four members nodded their heads in unison._

_“Okay, shall we get started then?”_

_“Yes!” The four shouted, and soon the staff was pointing them to where they needed to be._

_They sat around in these white wicker chairs with light blue cushions. The chairs surrounded a bonfire pit that overlooked the ocean on the far side of the pool._

_Once they were seated, Yunho couldn’t help himself to ask, “Are we allowed to use this area?”_

_“Of course, off or on cameras, you’re welcomed into this house. It is, after all, yours to use.” The PD answered with a soft smile as the chest was brought out._

_The chest they had seen the previous day was placed behind the fire pit. The sun had just begun to set, and the way the orange and pink hues bounced off the water created the perfect shot. They all saw the red light flicker on, indicating that filming had begun._

_“Hello, boys. I assume you all know what today is.”_

_The four of them nodded, “We’re here to pick our missions!” Wooyoung said enthusiastically. Truthfully, the eight of them were a bit excited about their secret mission, but there was an uneasy feeling lingering too._

_“That’s right! So who wants to come to unlock the treasure chest first?” The PD said with a glint in her eyes, or maybe that was just the sunset._

_“Rock, paper, scissor?” Yeosang asked, extending his hand._

_“Rock, paper, scissor, and shoot,” Hongjoong said as he shot paper, the other three shot out scissors._

_“Hyung goes first!” Yunho yelled as he gently pushed Hongjoong off the chair._

_Hongjoong approached the chest and twisted the makeshift key. Inside he saw eight scrolls, one of which would be his mission for the rest of the show. With a deep breath, Hongjoong stuck his hand inside and picked the parchment all the way in the bottom._ **There’s no way they’d put the hard ones on the bottom**. Then he walked back to his seat with his scroll in hand as Yeosang went up next. In a matter of minutes, all boys sat with their manuscripts in hand, waiting for the PD to give them further instructions.

_“We’ll have you all read them out in the order you went up, so Hongjoong-ssi if you please…”_

_The other three members patted their thighs in a semblance of a drumroll. Hongjoong resisted the urge to roll his eyes, knowing they were only doing it to tease him and Seonghwa. Slowly, he removed the ribbon that held the scroll closed and slowly opened the parchment. He read the words to himself first, and his eyes doubled in size,_ **_there’s no fucking way they’re making us do this._ **

_“Well, hyung, what is it?” Wooyoung asked, letting the curiosity get the better of him._

_Hongjoong cleared his throat, “It’s uh- well, Seonghwa and I have to...have to act as parents to a child after the first date.” Hongjoong says, slowly turning his parchment to show the camera and staff that it was indeed their mission._

_“But, you guys already have us…” Yeosang said with a pout forming, never one for losing attention._

_“That may be true Yeosang-ssi, but we’re actually bringing in a child from an orphanage to try and boost adoption rates, as well as challenge our couples.” The PD explained. “Now, Yeosang-ssi, I believe it’s your turn.”_

_Yeosang quickly opens his scroll and reads over his mission, relief flooding his system once he learns what he’d have to do with Jongho. At least they wouldn’t be adoptive parents. “Busking!” Yeosang yelled out as he turned his scroll towards the camera._

_Wooyoung takes that as his cue to open his scroll. He reads it first and digests his and San’s mission. “Sannie and I are going to try and beat each other during a carnival date!” Wooyoung says excitedly, and as he turns his scroll to face the camera, he adds on, “So that you know, I’m going to win.”_

_Lastly, Yunho opens his scroll and reads the lines over. Goosebumps erupt on his skin as he reads over what he’ll have to do, what_ they _will do. “Get the approval from your partner’s parents,” Yunho said almost robotically as he turned his parchment towards the cameras._

_The PD clasped her hands, “As you can see, your missions range in difficulty level, with busking being the easiest and becoming parents being the hardest. You have five months to complete your missions as well as the traditional events. I wish you all luck on your respective journeys.”_

* 

“Woo, you can’t possibly have _this_ much beauty products,” San said, looking at two boxes filled to the brim.

“Do you think I just happen to wake up looking like this? Of course not, it takes _time_.” Wooyoung stated as if it was the most obvious thing on the planet.

“I always like how you look, with or without all these things.” San shrugged then headed to his room to begin unpacking his boxes. He didn’t see the way Wooyoung flushed at his words as he started moving the furniture. 

Wooyoung took glances at the dancer through the open door, the way he was humming while picking which plant to place on top of the bedroom stand before looking away.

 _Huh_ , he thinks to himself as he fixes up the living room.

_That was a little weird._

*

Yeosang grunted as he tried to pick up a heavy box to move it to his bedroom from the living room before dropping it with a sigh. 

“Stupid heavy boxes,” he grumbled. With hands-on his hips, he glances around the beach house, appreciating the lighting entering the house that made it bright and lively, making the rooms seem vast. He hopes the others were moving in just fine as well, without any trouble.

Suddenly, Jongho walks past him and picks up the heavy box instead, lifting it as if it was just a small pot. 

“Wait, Jongho-”

“Let me do it hyung. I got it.” The younger gave him a grin before going towards Yeosang’s bedroom. 

He followed behind Jongho as he placed the box down near the bed and leaned on the doorway. Yeosang watched as Jongho’s muscle flexed while he stretched out his arms, rolling his shoulders as he sliced the box open with a box cutter. 

“Oooh, Jongho. Always the strong man, right?” Yeosang teased. 

Jongho chuckled and turned his face slightly towards the older. There was a glint in his eyes as he said, “Of course, hyung. You can always count on me.”

Yeosang hummed as Jongho walked past him to get more stuff from the living room. He watched as Jongho lifted their stuff one by one to where they belonged in the house, noting how tall Jongho looked to be despite being only a centimeter taller. 

Shaking his head from his thoughts, Yeosang goes to help with the smaller boxes and opens them up, getting ready for the new house.

*

“Should I put the speakers here or there?”

“Hongjoong, you’re going to end up deaf.”

They stood staring in front of each other in a silent match, and then Hongjoong placed his speakers right next to the bed. 

“Hongjoong!” Seonghwa puts his hands on his hips, and Hongjoong has a quick image of a wife nagging their husband. “You are _not_ going to place your speakers like that when you blast your ears off.”

“Relax, Seonghwa. I’m not going to play music as loudly as I usually do.” Hongjoong reassured him with a smile, then took out more stuff from his box. Seonghwa watched him from near the closet, Hongjoong’s nimble fingers placing his laptop and notebooks on the bed and his beauty products on the dresser. It felt like nothing was different at all from their dorm life. The setup of Hongjoong’s rooms was becoming a mirror of the one in the apartment (minus the missing band posters on the walls).

Seonghwa couldn’t help but stare at how Hongjoong just hummed around the room as if they’ve been living there forever, a grin on his face that has him raising an eyebrow.

“You seem pretty relaxed for being in a program like this.” He points out. Hongjoong thumbed his clothes as he pulled them out before turning to Seonghwa, giving him his full smile. Seonghwa’s eyes widened a fraction. 

“Free beach house, a view of the ocean, and I still live with my same roommate?” Hongjoong’s grin turned wider for reasons Seonghwa can’t understand. “Why wouldn’t I feel a little good?”

And Seonghwa stares at him in slight awe, and maybe concern because Hongjoong’s words hit him at how he felt the exact same.

*

All the boxes had been placed inside the house in the respective parts they each belonged to. Yet, Mingi hadn’t allowed Yunho inside the house and yelled at him to wait outside for a bit before proceeding to lock the front door on him. 

For an entirety of five minutes, Yunho was left out on the front porch of the house as he watched the other members bring boxes to their homes from the van.

“Hyung! What are you doing outside by yourself?!” Jongho yelled loudly. Of course, Jongho and Yeosang had to be his neighbor.

“Mingi locked me out!” Yunho yelled back as he pointed to the locked door behind him.

“Already? Should I break the door down?” Yunho let out a loud laugh because he knew Jongho was completely serious. Before he could reply, though, the white wooden door swung open.

“No need!” Mingi said, rushing over the threshold. Then he turned to face Yunho, “I heard him from inside. We can’t break anything… _ yet. _ ” Yunho nodded with a wide smile.

“Can I go in now?”

Mingi nodded his head, “Yeah, there’s just one more thing I have to do.”

“Wh-” The words stopped short once he felt Mingi’s arms wrap around him, one arm on his shoulder, the other hooking under his knees.

Mingi was picking Yunho up,  _ bridal style.  _ Then he walked towards the door and used his foot to open the door further. To ensure Yunho didn’t get all bruised as he walked past the threshold, he walked in sideways.

“Welcome to our new home, my bride to be.” Mingi looked at Yunho, who had hooked his arms around Mingi’s neck. Yunho’s face was flushed with a bright red hue.

“Th-thanks.” Yunho said, taking notice of the obviously rushed banner that read ‘Home of the Song’s.’ 

“Song’s?”

“Well, it’s obvious that once we’re married, you’ll be taking  _ my _ last name.” Yunho threw his head back in laughter as he started to get down from Mingi’s hold.

“In your dreams Song,” Yunho said as he headed to the master bedroom to set up  _ their  _ room.

Mingi stared at Yunho wistfully, who looked away shy from his gaze and whispered, “Pretty sure this is my dream.”

  
  



	4. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO SORRY for this extremely late update! But you know what they say 'all good things come to those who wait.' Anyways we've been working on this chapter for a while so I hope it meets all of your expectations! I'm super happy with how it turned out. Hope you all enjoy!! As always thanks for the comments and kudos, please don't be afraid to leave more comments! 
> 
> Happy reading!!

**2 Years Ago**

"What's so wrong about giving this a try?"

"Are you fucking crazy?" Yunho spun around to look at him incredulously. "Do you realize how many eyes are going to be on us once we debut? It's already difficult enough not to go somewhere and eat without someone seeing you."

Mingi had his hands on his hips and huffed. 

"So, what? We're just going to pretend that _this_ ," he motions between the two of them, "isn't something worth talking? Or at least try to face it?"

Yunho was glad the other members went out to eat and left the two of them alone at the dorms. Mingi's voice was getting higher with each word. Their shared room felt too small for the tense air between them. 

"Mingi, please." Yunho rubs a hand over his face, exhaustion hitting him. "We have to be responsible about this. If anything goes wrong, then-"

"Then we can face the consequences _together_. I mean, _come on_ , Yunho." 

It was the pleading tone in Mingi's voice that made Yunho look up, finding the other's eyes staring back with hope and something else he can't point out. 

"What about the band, Mingi? What will they say about us?" Yunho asked.

"They trust us enough that they'll help with whatever comes our way. And you know Hongjoong would support us till the end." Mingi spoke with such confidence that it was almost believable if it wasn't for his hands trembling.

Yunho sighs heavily.

"Mingi, I-"

"Is it really that bad to be with me?"

Yunho flinched hard from his words, and he found Mingi staring down at the floor in anger and resentment. His fists clenched at his sides.

"Why is it so wrong to want to be together?" He mumbled, his body vibrating.

Yunho swallows the lump in his throat as he pads across the wooden floor and takes his hands in his. Mingi wasn't the only one shaking.

"I do want to be with you. I _always_ want to be with you," Yunho murmured. The pressure in the air slowly evaporated into something melancholic as Mingi leaned his head against Yunho's shoulder. He tries to ignore the wet patch building on his shirt.

"But it's too dangerous and risky for us to do anything, Mingi. Not just as a band, but for everyone else as well. I'm sorry." 

There's a finality in his words, and he blinks away his unshed tears as he hears the front door open and the members piling in. 

"We can't risk our future that's right in front of us. And I don't want you to lose everything you have." He picks Mingi's head up a little to look him in the eye. He wipes away the wet trails on his cheeks.

"I'm so sorry, Mingi."

*

Yunho entered the main house after he had been called in by the PD. She hadn't lied about giving them missions when the time came. 

"Yunho-ssi, you're here! Sorry to have you come in during the move in time." The PD said once Yunho walked into the kitchen.

Yunho waved off the PD, "Oh, it's nothing, we just finished the bedroom; everything else can wait." 

"I'm happy to hear that." She gave Yunho a soft smile, "we're not recording today, but I just wanted to meet with you to tell you that you're the first couple to do a few things…" The PD trailed off as she took a sip of her coffee. Yunho nodded and sat quietly, waiting for her to continue.

"We're having you be the couple that starts our mission. As I've said, we want to make it fun, and a little competition never hurt anybody." Yunho chuckled at the explanation the PD gave.

"Trust me, PD-nim, we'll give you one hell of a show if it turns into a competition, even if it is just friendly competition."

The PD beamed at Yunho's response, "I'm happy to hear that."

"So, what is it you'll have me do?"

The playful glint that the PD got in her eyes when she revealed they'd be marrying each other came back. "Yunho-ssi… you're in charge of the first date."

*

"So, what did she want?" It really shouldn't surprise Yunho that the moment he got back, he would get interrogated by Mingi. That was the tenth time he'd asked.

Yunho rolled his eyes, "Should we order take out? Or do you want to try and cook something for ourselves?"

"Stop changing the subject!"

"Take out it is."

"Order pizza," Mingi said with a pout.

"Already placed the order." 

-

_Mingi deserved extravagant. He deserved the universe served up to him on a silver platter. But here, Yunho was giving him something that he felt fell short._

_"So Yunho-ssi, can you tell the fans about the first date you have planned?"_

_"Dinner and a movie," Yunho said to the point without any further explanation._

_The PD's eyes widened, "Dinner and a movie?" The way she said it made the feeling of inadequacy creep up again, but Yunho just nodded his head fiercely. "Why?"_

_'Why?' That was a good question, a great one at that. It was a question that Yunho did have the answer to, but the public would never be ready to hear the full truth behind the reason for his simple date. Because how do you tell South Korea that you've wanted to go on a regular date with the guy he'd been in love with for four years? How do you openly admit that all you want to do is hold him when the scary part of a movie comes on in the movie theater? How do you admit wanting to walk him to his doorstep and kiss him at the very end of the date, because that's what normal couples do? How do you say all that without ruining their careers?_

_The answer? You don't._

_What he did say wasn't a lie either. "We're idols. We no longer get to do the normal things we were able to, so I thought 'this is the chance to do something a normal couple would do' albeit the circumstances are different, but I think Mingi would appreciate a little ordinary." Yunho smiled at the cameras naturally. He didn't lie, and this was also an important factor._

_"Ah, so a simple date with a deeper meaning attached? Do you think you'll have the best first date?"_

_"Absolutely not."_

_The staff burst out laughing, "Who do you think will?"_

_"Mmm, maybe San and Wooyoung… or Seonghwa hyung and Hongjoong hyung."_

-

"Friday at 7 be ready," Yunho said as soon as he saw Mingi lounging on the couch.

"For?"

"A date."

"A-a date?" Mingi managed to let out after choking on air.

"Yes. So Friday at 7, be ready."

The cameras weren't on, it was just the two of them, and it was sad how the cameras missed the way Mingi's cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink. It was Yunho's favorite color, but if you asked him, he'd say green.

"O-oh, okay…I will." Mingi said stuttering as his cheeks darkened.

*

_"So Yunho-ssi, are you ready for your date this Friday?"_

_Yunho ran his hands down his thighs. He tended to get sweaty palms when he was nervous. "Of course." He wasn't._

_The PD smiled, "care to share your plans with us?"_

_There was a look in the PD's eyes because there was something the two of them knew. That fire was burning in her eyes. Yunho teasingly smiled because he could be mischievous too. "It's still just dinner and a movie."_

_*_

_"Mingi-ssi, what are your expectations for this Friday?"_

_Mingi shrugged, "it's Yunho… he'll probably just take me on the typical mall date that happens in all the dramas."_

_"Is that what you'd like?"_

_Mingi shook his head, "No. I kinda just want a…" he couldn't find the perfect words to fit his train of thought, but before he could say much else, the PD spoke up._

_"A 'normal' date?"_

_Mingi laughed a little, "it sounds a bit ridiculous coming from an idol. I mean, we could probably have any kind of date, but yeah, I'd like a little normal."_

_"And you don't believe Yunho would give you that?"_

_It was sad that he kind of knew Yunho wouldn't, he said all those things years ago and ever since it's been an avoided topic. There's no way Yunho would do any of the words they spoke of in secret, with Mingi wishing with all his heart it would be Yunho sitting, standing, and just being beside him._

_Mingi shrugged again while shaking his head, and this time when he smiled at the camera, the brightness that always seemed to follow Mingi dimmed a little. "I mean, I've mentioned what I want in passing, but I don't think he'll remember, and besides, at this point, anything we do isn't normal."_

-

It was weird having to get ready at Yeosang and Jongho's place. After all, he had just gotten used to his own house, but it was all for the "normal" date to go as planned. In any other situation, he might joke about it, might poke fun at the absurdity of it all, but for some reason, he was stressed. He couldn't get his shirt quite right, and his hair decided to fuck him over and decided to look all wrong. It's _all that fucking dye_. He groaned for about the hundredth time as he again untucked another shirt that just wasn't fitting right.

"That's the tenth shirt you've tried on. Just pick one and leave. You're stressing me out." Yeosang said, speaking up for the first time since he started getting ready.

"But it has to be perfect." Yunho picked up a flowy light blue button-up.

"It's just Mingi."

 _That's why it has to be perfect. "_ I know…" Yunho was about to tuck in the shirt again when Yeosang suddenly gripped his wrist.

"Leave it untucked. It makes your legs look better, and next time, go to Wooyoung, he's way better at this."

Yunho smiled at Yeosang, "Right, but I trust you."

Yeosang rolled his eyes, "Whatever, now hurry up, or you'll be late. It's already 6:57."

"Fuck, I have to go! Thanks, Yeosang." Yunho rushed out of the master bedroom and flashed by Jongho without giving him so much as a greeting. He did yell something about being late.

"Was that…"

"Yup."

"Well come on, it's time for us to head to the main house."

"The main house?"

"Yeah, we get to watch their first date live."

"You mean we get to see Mingi be an idiot on his date live?" Jongho chuckled and nodded. He grabbed Yeosang's hand and pulled him in the direction Yunho had just left. But instead of heading for the car, they walked to the main house. Their hands never parted.

*

_He was prepared. He had the flowers in the back seat, and the car was a beautiful amazing out of this world dream-worthy 2020 matte dark grey Bentley with chrome wheels--everything a human being could ask for, but his palms were dripping as he gripped the steering wheel. He was not ready for all the cameras placed in the car, nor did he expect to see that many cameramen waiting outside in the walkway entry of the house. He took a deep breath as he stepped out of the car, bouquet in hand, and all the cameras and lights turned to him immediately._

**_It was time,_** _Yunho thought, as he saw the little red lights of all the cameras signifying that they were on. From the corner of his eye, he saw one of the crew head to the car,_ **_probably to turn on the cameras._ **

_With one foot in front of the other, Yunho forced his body to move forward. Sure, it was the date he'd always dreamed of having with the guy he's always wanted, but it felt a bit wrong. He never wanted all these cameras pointed at them. It seemed a little redundant now, the conversation of two years ago, because here they were about to go out as a couple while the whole world (or at least what felt like the entire world) was watching. He could almost laugh at the irony of it all. But it was too late to laugh as he stood in front of the door, fist raised—one knock, with a breath to follow._ **_Now we wait._ **

_That breath in between felt like a lifetime, but as soon as he exhaled, the door opened, and it was as if he breathed out all of the air in the fucking universe as soon as he saw Mingi standing in front of him. The cameras seemed to fade away as he stared in awe of the redhead that stood in front of him. He was wearing a navy blue polo tucked in, which even with the bright red hair just somehow worked, and white ripped jeans revealing skin made him want to sink his teeth._

_"You're late. It's 7:01."_

_"Well, I hope, this" Yunho brings up the daisies and extends them to Mingi "means you forgive me."_

_MIngi smiled as he took the flowers from Yunho's hand, "It means I'll consider it." But the light shining in Mingi's eyes as he stared down at the daisies said otherwise. "I'm going to go put them in water…" and almost as an afterthought, Mingi looked back up at Yunho, "Wait for me?"_

_For some reason, those words seemed to hold a lot of weight to them, but without a second thought, Yunho answered, "Always," because he would._

_Mingi beamed and made his way inside only to return seconds later. "Okay, let's go."_

_Yunho extended his hand for Mingi to take and began to lead them back to the car. Turning around had been like a cold slap to the face as he saw all the cameras again, but Mingi's hand gave him a gentle squeeze, and somehow that reassured him. We'll_ **_be okay._ **

_Of course, as any good man would, Yunho opened the door for Mingi before making his way to the driver's seat. Cliches always worked, and they were cliches for a reason, right?_

_This time, the camera was able to pick up on the blush dusting itself on Mingi's cheeks._

_*_

_"So, where are you taking me?" Mingi asked as soon as Yunho pulled out of the driveway. In his rearview mirror, he could see the van of the camera crew following._

_"It's... a surprise." His grip tightened on the steering wheel when he thought back to where exactly they would be going._

_*_

Italian restaurants were all the rave when it came down to fine dining. When Yunho had researched "normal first dates," he saw that all the men went to some fancy Italian restaurant. He saw the huge glasses of wine, red or white, and pea-sized foods on massive plates. He sort of questioned why that was the standard when it came to dinner, but who was he to judge. Yunho had never been on an actual date before, so all he could use as a source was movies. 

There were the Nicholas Sparks books, but let's be real, the only possible way he could've recreated those dates were if he was a bull rider, gone back in time to become a high school boy trying to woo the Christian girl. Or, if he had managed to become somehow a 90-year-old man rereading his love story to his wife. He fit none of those descriptions. And quite honestly, Yunho didn't think he could recreate such iconic moments, so all he could do was dinner and a movie. Besides, it was a classy regular first date that all of them should've had. 

Back to the issue; the restaurant. Yunho had wanted to be sure that everything would be perfect. He had the movie down already. They'd be watching Frozen 2, completely not just for the video of Elsa singing 'Into the Unknown.' In hindsight, it would probably make Mingi's incessant singing of that song worse. It would most definitely come back to bite him in the ass since he now lived with the guy. But, dates are about the person you're taking out so he'd live with it. But to be honest, Yunho would take him to a chill pizza place and just fool around, but it was a date. And an Italian restaurant with a large plate yet no food wouldn't do. 

"I see..." the PD said, a little too amused. "Do you want help with the restaurant?"

"I- yes..."

"Lucky for you after our first episode release, there has been... talk."

"Talk?" Yunho tilted his head to one side, like puppy's who are confused do. 

"People like what we're doing." The PD shrugged. "And I got a call... Kim Seokjin from BTS said we're free to use his restaurant if you're interested."

Yunho opened his mouth to say something, anything yet no words came out. Instead, he looked like a fish out of the water with the way his mouth hung open. 

"Yunho-ssi, you'll catch flies if you keep your mouth open like that." The PD chuckled at her dated joke. "But I'll take that as a yes?"

And all Yunho could do was nod, because somehow it seemed like his first date was turning out to be better than any of the ones he had seen in movies or read in books. 

_*_

_"Are we there yet?" Mingi asked for the thousandth time all in the five minutes they had been driving. It was already driving Yunho crazy._

_"Like I just said, we're not there yet." Mingi let out a small huff and pouted as he crossed his arms over his chest. "We'll be there soon, don't worry."_

_Mingi nodded, "It's just that you haven't told me_ **_anything_ ** _about our date."_

_"Well yeah, because it's a surprise."_

_"Okay, but I want to know."_

_Yunho laughed at Mingi's childish attitude. "Well, it's my call, because it's my date."_

_"Watch, I'm going to make you suffer when it's my turn."_

_Yunho resisted the urge to roll his eyes, which would be extremely unsafe to do so while driving. The rest of the drive was silent. Yunho partially thought it was just because Mingi wanted to be petty, but the music filled the silence nicely. Yunho could also hear Mingi humming to the song that had been playing on the radio, so he knew he wasn't actually bothered. Yunho smirked to himself because he knew once they reached their first location, his 'petty' attitude would fade completely._

_*_

_Maybe it was the nerves, but for the rest of the ride, Mingi sort of zoned out. When he did notice his surroundings, he didn't recognize them._

_"Yunho are we-"_

_"We're here." The nerves he had been continually shoving back down throughout the whole care ride came back tenfold. He was a bit scared to look out the window. He sort of had this nagging feeling that he wouldn't be able to mask his disappointment once he saw the over the top, all too fancy place they would be going._

_"Close your eyes."_

_Mingi's eyes widened, "What?"_

_"The place where I'm taking you is a surprise, so close your eyes."_

_"B-but, then I won't be able to see…"_

_Yunho chuckled a bit at Mingi's hesitancy, "Well yeah, that's the point."_

_"B-but Yunho-"_

_"Do you trust me?" Yunho asked a bit softly, almost as if he were afraid of the answer._

_"I do."_

_"Then close your eyes."_

_And without much thought, Mingi let his eyes flutter close. He heard the moment Yunho stepped out of the car and quickly rushed over to his side to open the door._

**_Too close,_ ** _Mingi thought once he felt the warmth of Yunho's body over his own as the blonde undid his seatbelt. Then ever so gently, Yungo took hold of his hand and gently tugged him out of the car. Mingi's eye's never once opened._

_After a few steps, though, he was dying to know where in the world Yunho could've possibly dragged him to._

_"Can I open my eyes now?"_

_Yunho groaned loudly, "Here I thought we were done with that question."_

_Mingi laughed loudly, "As long as I don't know where I'm going, that question will always be on the tip of my tongue."_

_"What a lie, you love being surprised."_

_"That's a lie! Here I thought I was supposed to be the mythomaniac of this group."_

_"Trust me, that's all you."_

_Just like that, a comfortable silence settled over them. With Mingi just letting Yunho guide him._

_*_

_Maybe he was toying with Mingi for a bit before actually taking him to the restaurant he had made reservations. He walked in a circle at least twice before finally deciding to reveal his date location. He could also tell the camera crew was enjoying his teasing and their playful banter._ **_Huh, maybe we will have the best date._ **

_Yunho led Mingi across the street so that he could get a full view of the restaurant they would be going. Truthfully, Yunho couldn't wait to see the facial expression Mingi makes once he realizes where they are._

_Yunho lets go of Mingi's hand and step a bit away to gauge his full reaction. "Okay, you can open your eyes."_

_"Finally," Mingi huffed as his eyes slowly opened. Mingi blinked a few times as his eyes adjusted to the lights after being in the dark for so long._

_Then a gasp made its way out of Mingi's lips as a smile spread onto Yunho's. Yunho's smile widened once he saw Mingi rub his eyes to make sure that what he was seeing was real._

_"Am I- am I dreaming?"_

_"Not a dream."_

_"H-how?"_

_"I've got connections," Yunho said while the camera crew held in their laughter. After all, they had been present when Yunho asked his so-called connection for help._

_Mingi looked to Yunho with an intense gaze, "You're amazing."_

_A beautiful red bloomed on Yunho's cheeks the longer Mingi looked at him. It felt nice, having that same gaze placed on him without worrying about who would catch it. Yunho had missed it, being looked at by Mingi as if he had hung all of the stars._

_Yunho went to grab Mingi's hand again, "Let's go inside."_

_Before he could drag Mingi inside, he felt a tug, and Yunho turned back to look at Mingi, a confused expression settling over his face. "Picture, I want a picture of the two of us."_

_"O-okay."_

_Soon enough, the camera panned out to them as they stood in front of the sign that read 'Eat Jin's.' Mingi had effortlessly placed his head on the crook of Yunho's neck as Yunho wrapped his arm around Mingi's waist. The man behind the camera gave them a thumbs up signaling that he took the picture. The blush on both their cheeks was hidden, although if someone zoomed in enough, they might have a case._

_"Now come on, let's go!" Mingi tugged on Yunho's arm as he dragged them to the restaurant._

_*_

_After being seated, Mingi and Yunho sort of got lost in their world, letting their mind wander as they talked aimlessly. This part, they both knew would be sped up once edited and released, so they felt at ease talking. But the cameras were still being pointed at them, even if now it was only one. Too many cameras would have disrupted the environment of the restaurant._

_"So, is this all there is to this date?" Ming asked after taking a bite of their dessert._

_"Mmm… there's more."_

_"Is that a surprise too?" Ming said, going in for another spoonful._

_"Yah, Mingi, this is for us both, not just you."_

_"You should've ordered two then. And don't ignore my question!"_

_"Well, I didn't think you'd pig out like this on national television… and if you must know yes, the next part is also a surprise."_

_"I'm not a pig…" Mingi grumbled, "and that's not fair! The first part was already a surprise you should tell me about the second part!"_

_Yunho just laughed as he grabbed a massive spoonful of chocolate cake and stuffed it into Mingi's mouth. "Not happening."_

_*_

_An ease settled over Yunho and Mingi as they made their way back to the car._

_"Yah, did you make me walk extra?" Mingi said, taking notice of how short their walk seemed._

_"Had to keep you guessing."_

_"You mean you made me do an extra lap… to keep me guessing?!"_

_Yunho couldn't help himself when he reached out and yanked Mingi towards him and wrapped his arm around his waist. Maybe it was the incredulous expression that he had on his face that just made him pull him close. "Yes, sir," Yunho said, booping Mingi's nose as he flashed him a full smile and let a chuckle slip._

_Mingi couldn't help the blush that settled over his cheeks. With little effort, Mingi softly pushed at Yunho while pouting, "I hate you."_

_Yunho let out a loud laugh this time, "Mmm, I don't think you do." Then he let his hand slip down and interlaced their hands together as they continued their short walk to the car._

_*_

_They made it to the movie theater without too much of a hassle. The traffic had lessened since it was 10:00 PM when they made their way to the theater. As soon as they pulled into the parking lot, Mingi was filled with excitement. It indeed had been forever since they had gone to a movie theater as just Mingi and Yunho._

_"What movie are we watching?" MIngi excitedly asked as he dragged Yunho to the ticket counter._

_"How about I give you a hint?" Mingi nods furiously, "Into the-"_

_Before Yunho even got the word out, Mingi was already singing, or more like yelling in a semi-good pitch, "UNKNOOOOOWN! We're seeing Frozen II?!"_

_Yunho chuckled at Mingi's excitement, but it was that very reason that Yunho came up with this date to begin._

_*_

_Back in the main house, the other members were witnessing the exchange as San pulled a face from Mingi screaming._

_"I thought I'd never hear Frozen ever again, yet here we are." Wooyoung threw a pillow at the t.v. showing the date._

_"Oh come on, hyung. Mingi's not that bad." Jongho replied, and he met a pillow thrown at his face._

_"That's because you encourage that child, asshole! Sorry." Wooyoung waves to the staff who giggle at his cursing._

_Shaking his head, Yeosang just released a sigh. "Does this mean we have to hear this for three more months? You might as well just shoot my ear off."_

_"Hey, what did I say about violence?" Seonghwa scolded._

_Yeosang rolled his eyes, "It's only allowed when we forget to do the chores."_

_Seonghwa nodded, satisfied with his answer._

_Ignoring the others grumble, Hongjoong just curiously watched as Yunho pulled Mingi closer to him as they entered the cinema. Sighing to himself, he feels his heart warm at the way Yunho turns to Mingi with a face that speaks annoyance, but anyone could see the fondness in the way he can't stop smiling._

_He doesn't notice the way Seonghwa gazes at him from behind._

_"Well, either way, we're going to make our date better. Right, San?" The two of them high-five with determined looks on their faces just as Yeosang rolled his eyes again_

_"I hope you're not as idiotic as these two."_

_*_

_If Yunho was honest, he knew something embarrassing would have to happen at some point or another on this date, he just never expected it to be to this extent. The fault's on him, though, for forgetting that this was Song Mingi after all._

_It started as a hum, but as the movie moved along, Mingi's voice started to grow louder and louder until he was singing loudly to Christoph's solo steadily. Yunho could feel the parent's turning around to stare at them as Mingi's voice got louder. Yunho sunk into his seat as he heard the whisper of the mother next to him._

_"Eomma, why is that ahjussi singing so loudly?"_

_"Just watch the movie, baby." the mother whispered back as he gave them a judgemental stare._

_And maybe for the first time that night, Yunho was regretting his decision to bring them to the theater. But as he snuck a peek at Mingi, that thought quickly left him. Mingi was entranced by the movie, smiling, laughing, and gasping at everything happening on screen. Mingi looked so happy that Yunho would suffer this embarrassment a million times if it meant he'd get to see Mingi look this happy every time._

_*_

_"That was the greatest movie I have EVER seen," Mingi said the moment the lights turned on in the theater._

_"I'm glad you liked it," Yunho said before going to smack Mingi._

_"Ow! What was that for?!"_

_"For singing so damn loud! All the parents and KIDS were looking at us! It was so embarrassing!"_

_Mingi loudly laughed as he rubbed the back of his head, "I did no such thing."_

_Yunho openly gaped at Mingi, "Mingi, it's literally on camera." Then he proceeded to point at the staff who had been sitting behind them throughout the whole movie._

_"Things can be photoshopped," Mingi said, shrugging as he turned back to face him._

_Yunhi huffs as he begins to walk away from Mingi._

_"Wait for me!" Mingi yells as he runs towards Yunho, his hands finding Yunho's almost instantly._

_*_

_The drive back was filled with Mingi singing every single fucking Frozen and Frozen II song at the top of his lungs. Yunho knew this was going to happen, but he didn't think it would happen this fast, nor did he think he'd be the only one on the receiving end. Yunho was entirely too relieved when he had finally reached their house._

_Yunho turns off the car and races out to open the door for MIngi. Mingi had gotten a bit too quiet as they made their way towards the front door._

_"T-thanks for the date," MIngi says shyly, not looking Yunho in the eyes._

_"I hope you had a good time…"_

_Mingi snaps his head up, "The best."_

_There was this beautiful silence that engulfed the two as they stood there just taking in the other. Both slightly afraid to blink or move in fear of the spell, that was keeping them there become broken._

_But someone had to move first eventually and that someone just happened to be Yunho._

_Yunho moved an inch, then two closer to Mingi. And he was close,_ **too close** , Mingi thought. Mingi could feel Yunho's breath tickle his cheeks a little. **_Is this it? Is this the moment when we kiss? Mingi's_** _heart rate picked up, and he did the only thing he could do and closed his eyes, deciding to wait until the moment Yunho's lips would meet his._

_Except that moment didn't come. Instead, Yunho had gone for the door. He had gotten closer to Mingi so he could open the fucking door._

_"Uh, Mingi… what are you doing?"_

_Mingi snapped his eyes open and saw that Yunho had only gotten closer to him so that his arm could reach the door behind him._

_"N-nothing…"_

_"Are you going to go inside?"_

_Mingi nodded his head, vigorously, "Thanks for the date." Then he turned around, went inside and closed the door all in a few quick motions. As Mingi leaned back on the door, he tried to calm his heartbeat._ **_What was he thinking, of course, he wouldn't kiss me._ **

_Before he could scold himself further, a loud banging interrupted him. "Mingi, what the hell?! I live with you. Remember!"_

_-_

"Thank fuck their date is over." Wooyoung stretched from his seat on the couch. 

The rest of the members got up to greet the staff members goodbye after finishing the shoot. Some of them stayed in their seats, feeling too tired to get up for a moment. 

Yawning, Jongho says, "I still can't believe Yunho got them seats at Seokjin sunbae's restaurant."

"Yeah, and I can't forgive him for that," Wooyoung mutters bitterly. Yeosang smacked his arm lightly, a little amused. "Don't be such a sour puss. You have to step up your game anyway for your own date."

Wooyoung lets out a smirk, leaning back on the couch with arms behind his head. "Of course! I'm not letting Mingi beat me with something like this." He took a glance at San, who was seated at the loveseat. There was a distant look on his face as he stared at the replay of Yunho and Mingi's date on the screen. Humming, Wooyoung reached to tap him on the knee.

"Hey, San. You okay?" He asked

San blinked a couple of times as they focused on Wooyoung. The latter was curious at the way San's eyes glanced all over his face as if searching for something. He pulls back a little to look at him thoroughly.

"San?"

"Yeah, sorry. I was just thinking about tomorrow."

At this, Seonghwa walks back to the group after waving the staff off and pats him on the back. "Don't worry. I'm sure you'll do great." He hopes his smile is comforting enough. He glances at Wooyoung, who stared at San with an unreadable look on his face before moving to San again. "Anyways, you all seem tired. I think we should head for bed, and we can talk with the pair tomorrow."

With a rumble of agreements. The members left the main house and went to their respective homes for the night, waving each other off. Yeosang takes a glance at Mingi and Yunho's windows before walking through the front door. 

"You think those two will be okay?" 

He looks up, surprised at Jongho standing near the doorway with his shoes off, eyes also looking at their friend's home. Pursing his lips, Yeosang just shrugs and goes to their room, mumbling, "I'm sure they will be. I'll see you tomorrow." And he disappears into their bedroom.

Jongho follows behind after a few minutes of looking out the window to Yunho's house as their lights turn off. Humming, he goes into the bedroom and finds Yeosang already fast asleep still in his clothes. He chuckles under his breath as he changes into his pj's and shimmies into his side of the bed, gazing at the way Yeosang's breathing evened out. 

With Yeosang's body right next to his, the bed feels warm.

_This is nice._

They were the last thoughts in mind before Jongho fell asleep. 

_*_

_Mingi was a bit surprised at how quickly he was called into the main house the day after his first date with Yunho. He knew it was bound to happen, but he didn't think it would happen so soon. But now he sat in the living room nursing a cup of coffee as he waited for the PD to speak while all the cameras pointed at him._

_You would think after being by yourself in front of the camera would have gotten easier by now, but somehow it's still as nerve-racking as ever. It's even more so when the PD looks at him, while she's carefully thinking of what to say next. Mingi gulped as he saw the PD open her lips to talk._

_"So as far as first dates go, how would you rate this one with Yunho-ssi?" The PD asked Mingi._

_Mingi smiled as a faint blush appeared on his cheeks, "Ten out of ten, would date again."_

_The PD laughed a little at the phrasing, "You doubted Yunho-ssi just a few days ago. Are you more confident in him now?"_

_Mingi gave the cameras a piercing gaze as he let the next few words slip, "I would never doubt Yunho." The PD was a bit stunned at how serious those words came out, but before she could speak, Mingi beat her to it. "Yunho…he's the best person ever, I just didn't think he'd remember all those silly things I said in passing that I wanted on a first date, but I never doubted him. Not for a second."_

_"Mmm…I see." The PD was sort of at a loss for words._

_"PD-nim, thank you for pairing me up with Yunho. I don't think anyone else would've given me the first date of my dreams."_

_The sincerity behind his words struck the PD, "If there was a way to sort of outdo him…would you?"_

_Mingi nodded furiously, "Yes."_

_The PD smiled as a playful glint made its way into her eyes, "It's a good thing that you're in charge of the proposal then."_


	5. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Woosan go on their first date. Drama ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry that this took literally forever, but I had moved when I began writing this chapter then I got a new job, but I'm all settled now and actually had time to write and it's a loooong one so please enjoy! Also the three * signify a break from the past.

_The bar was set. The standard for them was now Yunho and Mingi. It was San and Wooyoung’s turn now and honestly, if you were to ask San, he had thought that his date was the sure winner. Yet, after having witnessed all the stunts Yunho pulled, he was beginning to doubt everything he had planned. They all had the same amount of time given that they all found out the order the same day Yunho did. Yet as he stood outside of his own door ready to knock, he wasn’t feeling as confident as he had a week ago._

**One week ago***

“San-ssi please take a seat. Would you like some coffee?”

“Yes please, that would be amazing.”

The PD brought out two mugs and started to pour coffee for them both. As he sat at the kitchen island he couldn’t help but notice the lack of cameras. 

“So, we just had Yunho-ssi come in here before you…” The PD said as he handed San his cup of coffee as well as the milk and sugar. “And well on Friday next week Yunho and Mingi will be going on their first date.”

San’s eyes widen, “Already?”

The PD nodded her head and then took a slow sip of her coffee, “Yunho is the one in charge of handling their first date and I called you in to tell you that you are also in charge of your first date with Wooyoung.”

San choked on his sip as soon as the words were spoken, “I-I am?”

The PD nodded her head once again and just like before took a slow sip from her coffee, and this time it seemed even slower almost as if she was doing it on purpose. “On Saturday, the day after Yunho and Mingi’s date, it will be your turn.”

“O-okay…”

Before San could say anything more the PD was speaking once again, “I should also mention dates are a competition, so please try to outdo Yunho-ssi.”

That snapped San out of his dazed and shocked state almost comically fast. His wide eyes and slightly open mouth quickly shifted into a menacing smirk as his eyes became sharp, “PD-nim, you have no idea what I’m capable of.” And with that San got up bowing to the PD as he rushed out, leaving behind his cup of coffee almost full.

-

Since then, San had been going out of his mind trying to find the perfect first date for him and Wooyoung, which was extremely hard to do given that he had absolutely no fucking clue what Yunho was planning. How the fuck are you supposed to top something if you don’t know what that something is. It was extremely unfair.

“Hyung what’s your ideal first date?” San asked Seonghwa randomly as they laid sprawled out on the floor of their dance studio.

San tilted his head to look over at Seonghwa who had his brows furrowed, “I… I actually don’t know.”

San sat up and looked down at Seonghwa, “You don’t?”

“Well I’ve never really had to think about it before. Like, I mean around the time to begin dating I started to become a rookie and you know at that point dating isn’t allowed so I just…I never sat down and thought about it before.” Seonghwa sat up after letting out a small sigh, “What about you, Sannie?”

“I used to think my ideal first date was going to a cafe and then we would walk around the area, going into random stores. You know, just enjoying the unpredictability of it all and as we do that we would just naturally learn about each other as the date progresses…”

“But?”

“But not with Wooyoung. I… he’s someone important to me and as much as we are well us, I know how much a first date means to him and I- I want to give him that. Not some half-assed date.”

Seonghwa looked at San, calculating his words, “You know your ideal date isn’t bad. I think you should know that. As for me. I just want a first date that was designed with me in mind. I’ve always wanted to sweep someone off their feet, but I also want someone to sweep me off my feet. It won’t be hard for you because it’s you and Woo.”

“I think that’s why it’s harder.” San mumbled.

Seonghwa chuckled, “Nope. San, you know better than anyone else just how to sweep Wooyoungie off his feet. Now stop worrying about topping Yunho and just focus on what really matters.”

-

“So… I have something planned for us on Saturday.” San says as he and Wooyoung sit on the couch eating ramen.

“Really?! What is it?”

“A date.”

Wooyoung’s hand froze in midair, chopsticks full of noodles. He swallowed thickly, “A d-date?”

San nodded, feigning nonchalance. “Be ready. Saturday at 3PM.”

*

_“So San-ssi, how will date night be for you and Wooyoung-ssi?”_

_“Well I’ve actually had a bit of a struggle to come up with something, but… I think I got the perfect first date planned.”_

_The PD looked a little impressed at the sureness of San’s words, “Well what is the perfect first Woosan date then?”_

_“First we start with a sort of scavenger hunt, which will lead to a private beach where we’ll have a picnic and watch the sunset. Of course there will be a few surprises here and there, but I’m afraid those will have to be kept hidden.”_

_“That sounds lovely. May I know why you chose this as your first date?”_

_San recalled the last words Seonghwa had said to him. It was those words that had led San to figure out the perfect date for the two of them. It was kind of obvious to him once he stopped thinking about everyone else. Seonghwa had been right, he just needed to focus on Wooyoung, and he had to stop letting the fan’s expectations get the better of him._

_“I just thought about the two of us… and well it’s me and Wooyoung."_

_The PD had a curious expression on her face, “Care to elaborate?”_

_San gave the camera a sly and playful grin, “No… but when you see our date you’ll understand.”_

_*_

_“So Wooyoung-ssi by now I assume San-ssi has already told you about your scheduled date on Saturday.”_

_Wooyoung nodded his head slightly, “Yes ma’am, he told me about it yesterday over dinner.”_

_The PD gave him a soft smile before asking her next question, “I see… well what are your expectations for San?”_

_Wooyoung tilted his head to the side as his brows furrowed while he thought about his answer. He sort of looked a bit like a confused puppy. “Is it bad that I don’t really have any expectations for him?”_

_The shock on the PD’s face was evident, “Why do you say that?”_

_Wooyoung sat up straighter and cleared his throat, “Well I’d like to think I know San better than anyone and he… well I’m not the one he’s in love with you know? He would do all the right things for the right person, but it’s just me.” Wooyoung shrugged his shoulders and let out an airy, but empty chuckle before replying, “Besides he should know me already so I know I’ll have fun, but to say I hold any expectations for him, well that would make me a liar.”_

_The PD nodded her head, she was clearly calculating her next words, “well then it should be fun to see your reactions on Saturday since you have no expectations.”_

_“Is there something you know?” Wooyoung asked, leaning closer to the camera._

_The PD gave him a smirk, “It’s a secret.”_

_“PD-nim! You have to tell me!”_

_The PD chuckled and shook her head, “We’ll see you on Saturday Wooyoung-ssii.”_

_-_

***

Seonghwa was a bit stunned as he sat in front of the screen that was showing Wooyoung’s interview prior to their date. The PD wanted genuine reactions the night of the date so she was also showing them their individual interviews that were held before. It was so that the members could tease the couples when they were proven wrong once the date occurred. Of course he expected each member to have the worst expectations of each other. It made sense, they all lived together so he understood why. Yunho and Mingi’s interviews had been a bit funny seeing as Yunho did exactly what Mingi was expecting him not to do and sure they all teased Mingi about it during their shoot earlier in the morning, but now as he watched what Wooyoung had to say, he was in utter shock.

He knew better than anyone how horribly wrong Wooyoung was in his interview. San had asked him about first dates with Wooyoung in mind. Yet Wooyoung had no expectations for him, it made no sense.

“He didn’t- he couldn’t have meant that right?” Yunho spoke first.

“Does Woo not see it?” Jongho asked next.

Seonghwa looked to Hongjoong who was clearly processing the whole situation.

“He had to have been joking?” Mingi said, but it came more like a question rather than a definitive statement.

The members all looked toward Yeosang who had known Wooyoung the longest to give them a definite answer.

“I- I hate to say it, but he um… he actually means what he says. I don’t think he would lie about that.”

“But San lo-”

Hongjoong cleared his throat before anyone could say more, “That’s how Woo feels, and we can’t control that. We see things differently because we're not them. None of us can blame or judge Woo for what he said. Besides, he said it himself. He _knows_ San. We might think San feels one way, but he’s never said anything so we shouldn’t be jumping to conclusions.” Hongjoong let out a loud sigh, “All we can do now is watch and maybe Woo will get proved wrong. Maybe he won’t, but we won’t comment on it.”

***

-

Sweaty palms. That’s all San could think about as he was getting ready at Yunho and Ming's house. He couldn’t stop rubbing his hands over his ripped jeans to get rid of the sweat that kept building. He probably shouldn’t be as nervous as he is, it’s not like him and Wooyoung never go out just the two of them. Yet his brain kept supplying him with the _it’s a date, it’s our first date,_ thought and then the sweat he’d just wiped away would come back.

“If you keep rubbing your hands on your pants like that, you’ll create a new rip.”

San stopped patting his palms over his jeans and scoffed, “Maybe that’s exactly what I want.”

Mingi rolled his eyes at San’s retort, “Seriously, what’s got you so nervous? I thought you had everything perfectly planned.”

“I do… but it’s just…” San took a deep calming breath, “It feels different for some reason and I can’t explain what it is exactly.”

Mingi took a few seconds to process his words, because he knew exactly what San was talking about. It wasn’t life altering to spend some one on one time with a bandmate, but for some reason this did feel different. Mingi gave San a soft comforting smile, “It’s a bit different, but trust me, once you get into the rhythm of the ‘date’ you’ll be fine. That’s how it felt for me anyways. At some point I forgot about the cameras and then it was just me and Yunho and… and I had fun.”

San took in another deep breath to calm his racing heart and with one last wipe of his hands he nodded his head, “Okay, okay I’m ready.”

*** **Present**

_The cameras weighed heavily on San as he raised his fist to knock on the door. As soon as he was to knock, his date with Wooyoung would begin and San knew that there was no going back after this. At least not for him anyway, but the cameras didn’t know that, Wooyoung didn’t know that either. He had no other option but to knock, so with a deep breath that’s exactly what he did._

_San wasn’t ready for the door to open. Wooyoung looked positively breathtaking. He had his purple hair parted right down the middle with a small hoop in one ear and long silver chain earring in the other. He was wearing black skinny jeans with rips at the knees and a silk short sleeve shift tucked with a belt to accentuate his hips._

_“Sannie!” Wooyoung said with a wide smile adorning his lips,_ **_absolutely breathtaking._ **

_San gave him a smile back, “Ready to go Woo?”_

_Wooyoung nodded, eyeing San up and down, “No flowers?”_

_San let out a loud one syllable laugh,”Those’ll come later, promise.”_

_“Mmmm…” Wooyoung nodded after a bit as if finally believing in San’s words._

_“Well then after you. We have quite a lot to do.” San said, stepping to the side and extending his arm to let Wooyoung pass him first._

*

It hadn’t been hard to plan the little scavenger hunt for Wooyoung, all he had to do was answer the riddles for a rose to be given to him and then the person would point in the direction of the next riddle. There were 24 in total, because San knew Wooyoung would of course want more roses than what Yunho had given Mingi. He had walked into all the different stores around the boardwalk he found in Busan and had asked all the managers if they could help him out about three days before the date. The last person giving Wooyoung the rose would lead them to a little clearing on the beach that people could rent out for parties or weddings, so San rented it out for their date. 

_The camera man followed them once San parked his car in the boardwalk parking lot and stepped out. He rounded to the other side and opened the door for Wooyoung. As soon as he opened the door he bent down and went to unbuckle Wooyoung’s seatbelt. As he looked up to Wooyoung he threw him a smirk and a wink before pulling back and extending his hand to help Wooyoung actually step out of the car and once he had fully emerged San never once let go of his hand. The slight blush that worked its way onto Wooyoung’s face was extremely satisfying, but it made San want to tease him more just so he could see that light pink settle over his cheeks, it was so pretty._

_“I didn’t know Busan had boardwalks!”_

_“Neither did I but I found this place when I went wandering around.”_

_“Are we going to the beach after?”_

_“We’ll just have to see about that won’t we.” San said as he pulled him into the first store._

_It was a small shop, well to be fair the shops around the boardwalk were all small, but this one was a bit smaller than the rest. It was an antique shop that for some reason was always dim even with the blazing sun outside. It was filled with random things, random beautiful things, but San’s favorite part had to be the wall of clocks at the back of the store that was adorned with fairy lights._

_Wooyoung’s breath hitched the moment his eyes laid on the wall. “San… it’s beautiful! Can we take a picture? We have to take a picture!”_

_Before San could even answer Wooyoung was already pulling San towards the back. Wooyoung pulled out his phone and gave it to one of their staff. San was about to step out of the frame for Wooyoung to take his picture. “What are you doing? We’re taking a picture together.”_

_San chuckled and nodded, “Of course we are.”_

_“Let’s face each other! Make it seem like you’re completely in love with me and I’m all you see okay.”_

_Little did Wooyoung know that San didn’t really have to try all that hard._

_San raised his hand and placed it ever so gently on Wooyoung’s cheek. They were so close, so, so, so close._ **_Maybe just maybe if I leaned in a little more-_ ** _Someone cleared their throat before San could do much more thinking. The staff simultaneously handed Wooyoung’s phone back to him after assuring him that he took a few pictures of them._

_“Would you guys like to purchase something?” The store clerk asked._

_San took in a calming breath and then turned towards the old man that had appeared almost out of thin air._

_“Oh it’s you San-ssi, shall we get started then?”_

_*_

**_What the hell was that?_** **_Why did I feel a bit of disappointment when San stepped away?_** _“Wait ‘get started’?” Wooyoung tilted his head to the side while he looked towards San._

_San just gave him his famous smirk and turned his head back towards the clerk and nodded his head._

_The ahjussi clapped his hand and motioned them to follow him. He led them back towards the front of the store where the register was._

_“This lovely young man asked for my help to deliver the first riddle of the day…” the ahjussi then pulled out a piece of paper with a bright blue rose to follow. The clerk cleared his throat and looked down at the note, a small smile made its way onto his face, “what has hands, but can’t clap?”_

_Wooyoung looked back at San with a confused face._

_“You have to answer the riddle to get the rose, then we’ll go to the next spot. We have 24 in total…” San knew what was coming next so before Wooyoung spoke again San beat him to it, “And no I won’t help you, but you can ask for one hint during each riddle.”_

_Wooyoung nodded his head and turned back to face the ahjussi, “Could you repeat the riddle please?”_

_The clerk nodded his head and read off the small paper once more, “What has hands, but can’t clap?”_

_Wooyoung’s eyebrows scrunched together as he tried to think of the answer. It would have been easier to ask for a hint, but this was the first riddle and he wanted to solve it by himself, with no help. Wooyoung then took a deep breath and closed his eyes before letting his eyes wander around the store. In the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of the wall of clocks._ **_Hands? A clock has hands…_ ** _with a sharp intake of breath Wooyoung yelled, “I got it! It’s a clock! It has to be!”_

_The ahjussi gave Wooyoung a wide smile as he nodded his head and handed the rose to him. Wooyoung turned to San with a triumphant look on his face, his eyes shining brightly and a huge smile to accompany them._

_San gave him a wide smile in return, making his eyes form little tiny crescents while his dimples made their presence known, “Ready for the next one Woo?”_

_And okay maybe Wooyoung’s heart skipped a beat at that, but it was all the excitement running through his body, at least that’s what he told himself it was because any other reason would have been impossible._

_*_

_They had made their way through ten stores already and Wooyoung had only asked for a hint three times in total. He wanted to earn his roses without hints, but some of the riddles were a bit harder than others, but he proudly held the ten beautiful blue roses in his hand as they walked towards their next location. This was the eleventh store they were walking into, it was on the bigger side for sure. It was a bookstore that sold special editions of books forgotten through the years. It was clear as day that these books were preserved and beautifully taken care of. Wooyoung ran his hand that wasn’t occupied by roses across the spines of the books he passed by. There were rows and rows of them and he couldn’t help but wander around._

_Wooyoung lets out a sharp intake of breath, “San, look…” Wooyoung points to a leather bound copy of ‘Pride & Prejudice’ “It’s beautiful…” he says as he gently removes it off the shelf. _

_That’s the main reason San picked this specific place, because one look at the book and he knew Wooyoung would be floored. He had read it online and was raging about ‘Mr. Darcy’ for weeks on end, but with their busy schedules Wooyoung wasn’t able to get a physical copy and San knew how much he preferred that to online reading. He had asked the bookkeeper to put that book on hold promising him that he would purchase it when he came in for the scavenger hunt he meticulously planned. San would never admit that he went through that whole ordeal though._

_“Shall we get it?”_

_Wooyoung snapped his head up to face San, “Can we?”_

_Instead of answering with words San took a step forward and took the book out of Wooyoung's grip with delicacy and made his way towards the back where the register and bookkeeper were. There was a flicker of recognition in the eyes of the ahjumma, but as promised she kept her lips sealed about the book._

_“Thank you for your purchase.” The ahjumma said as she handed the book wrapped and placed in a sturdy black paper bag to San. Then she stepped out from behind the register only to retrieve a single blue red rose from a vase and a slip to follow. She turned to face Wooyoung, who was already focused on the task at hand. She gave him a soft smile, “Now this shouldn’t be too hard… your riddle is: what has words, but never speaks?”_

_Wooyoung almost scoffed at how easy this riddle was. The answer was blatantly obvious, matter of fact they were surrounded by it. “Maybe you should’ve made the riddles a bit easier don’t you think?” Wooyoung states as he looks towards San who chuckled at his boldness. San knew they were a bit on the easier side but San knew better than to pick insanely difficult riddles for Wooyoung._

_“If it’s so easy what’s the answer?”_

_Wooyoung smiled wide, eyes never leaving San’s and said his answer loud and clear, “Books.”_

_For a split second it felt as if San and Wooyoung were the only two in the bookstore. Both boys were giving each other face splitting grins while San raised his hand and ruffled Wooyoung’s hair. There were no words said, but it’s like they could understand each other clear as day._

_Then almost as quickly as it had settled, the spell was broken, “Congratulations on getting the answer right Wooyoung-ssi, here is your rose.”_

_*_

_Nineteen, that’s how many roses Wooyoung had in his hands. This was about to be store number 20. The previous store, a small little boardwalk merch shop had pointed them in the direction of a little jewelry pop up stand. It was adorable hand crafted jewelry, there were chains and rings made out of sterling silver, and a few pieces made with real gold. It wasn’t over the top, but they were beautiful in their simplicity._

_In the corner of his eye Wooyoung saw, two matching rings, one silver and one gold, both had twists with tiny gems embedded in them. The gold one had diamond gems, to match its counterpart, and the silver ring had lemon quartz to match the golden ring. They were absolutely gorgeous, yet so simple._

_Wooyoung tugged on San’s shirt, “San-”_

_But San was already way ahead of him because San never once let his eyes wander off the sight that is Wooyoung. “Ahjussi, can I please have these matching rings?”_

_The seller’s eyes brightened as he recognized the boy he had seen just a few days ago, “San-ssi, of course. What size would you like them in?”_

_“Big enough so that they fit our pinkies. I’ll take the silver one, so Woo can have the gold one.”_

_“Our pinkies?” Wooyoung said as the seller looked for rings their size in his inventory._

_“Well that’s where our soulmate string connects, so I figured we could just buy something so that everyone else can see it too.” San said it so easily, as if it were common sense._

_That blush that San had seen earlier made its way back onto Wooyoung’s cheeks, this time the color was a shade darker, but it was still so very pretty that San found it hard to look away. Unfortunately, he wasn’t lucky because the seller quickly returned with their rings. San took them both and turned to Wooyoung grabbing his right hand gently and placed the gold ring on his finger. Once it was fully on, San brought Wooyoung’s hand up and placed a soft kiss on the ring and then gently let go of his hand. He smiled softly at Wooyoung, who’s eyes were wide in shock while his blush made its way down to his neck. With a soft chuckle San placed his own ring on and then turned to pay for the rings._

_The seller smiled at them both and handed San back his card, “Wooyoung-ssi are you ready for your riddle?”_

_“Hm.. oh yea, yes I am.”_

_“Okay, your riddle this time is: what can you break, even if you never pick it up or touch it?”_

_San had to admit this one was most likely the hardest out of all the riddles he’d picked out. It had absolutely nothing to do with their environment like the previous ones did, but he hoped Wooyoung could get it without the hint._

_“Break without touching it? There’s such a thing?”_

_The ahjussi nodded, “There’s a hint if you need one.”_

_Wooyoung racked his brain for what the possible answer could be. It was hard to come up with an answer since each one he thought of had to be physically destroyed and the riddle says the exact opposite of that. Wooyoung huffed loudly, crossed his arms across his chest and with a pout said, “Ahjussi if you don’t mind I’d really like that hint now.”_

_The seller smiled and looked down at his left hand, using his thumb to twist the ring on his ring finger. “Rings are a symbol of what can be broken without needing to hold it.”_

_To Wooyoung, rings were just accessories he used and he never gave it much thought, but the way the old man stared at his wedding band he knew they held a lot more worth than the material._ **_Rings are usually used for relationships… to make promises-_ ** _Wooyoung's eyes widened and as if they were in a cartoon, San saw the lightbulb turn on._

_“A promise! A promise can be broken!”_

_The ahjussi smiled and nodded, then dipped down to take the rose he had been given and gave it to Wooyoung, adding it to his growing collection. Wooyoung smiled widely as he accepted his rose and turned to look at San, who was already looking at him, “On to the next, Sannie!”_

_*_

_The day was winding down, and they had arrived at the boardwalk at 3:30 and it was now 4:45. Perfect timing on San’s part since he wanted to watch the sunset with Wooyung at 7. All that was left was the organic homemade ice cream spot at the end of the boardwalk. San’s hand was entwined with Wooyoung as they walked into the ice cream parlor. The little bell rang as they walked in, and the self serve area came into view as they went further in._

_“Can we get some?” Wooyoung turned to San, giving him his best puppy dog eyes._

_San chuckled, “Yes. I mean why would we come into an ice cream place and not get ice cream? That would be inhumane.”_

_Wooyoug smiled and pulled San toward the vanilla flavor, “Go get us some cones.”_

_San nodded and let go of Wooyoung’s hand and went to get two waffle cones for their ice cream. After they put their swirls in the cone they made their way towards the counter, to pay for the ice cream and for Wooyoung to get his last riddle._

_The young girl working the counter greeted them politely as she accepted their payment. She then excused herself to get the blue rose and card she had placed in the back room. When she returned she read the riddle out loud, “What tastes better than it smells?”_

_Without any hesitation and a straight face Wooyoung answered, “A dick.”_

_The girl manning the counter laughed loudly as she shook her head no, while San choked on the ice cream he had licked from the cone. San heard the gasps from the camera crew standing behind them._

_“Woo that’s- that’s not the answer.” San said after his choking turned coughing fit ended._

_Wooyoung shrugged as if he didn’t just say that on national television and looked back at the girl, “Can I get a hint please?”_

_“The answer has to do with one of your five senses.”_

_“Oh… your tongue!” The girl nodded her head and handed the rose over to Wooyoung._

_“Congratulations you have finished all the riddles! Now all you have to do is take the last exit towards the beach. Enjoy the rest of your evening.” She bowed towards them and waved as Wooyoung and San exited the parlor._

_*_

_They fell back in step with each other, this time though San placed his arm over Wooyoung’s shoulder, since holding hands was basically impossible seeing as one held his roses while in the other was the ice cream. They walked peacefully towards the last beach exit which was only a couple steps away as they ate their ice cream, just observing the people walking along the boardwalk too._

_Once they reach the little opening towards the beach, San leads them down and takes them towards a clearing in the opposite direction that the other people were going._

_“Where are we going? Everyone is going the other way.”_

_San held Wooyoung tighter, “You’ll see.”_

_After a few minutes of walking Wooyoung noticed the blue petals that led them towards a picnic blanket that was positioned in the perfect spot to overlook the ocean._

_“It’s beautiful!”_

_“I figured you’d like it.” San said as he walked Wooyoung over to the picnic blanket. “We’ve had quite a long day, and even longer walk so I hope you worked up an appetite.”_

_Wooyoung smiled, “I’m starving.” He sat down to join San as he started to unpack the picnic basket._

_It was calming to just sit and eat to the sound of waves crashing. The weather was perfect, just the right amount of breeze that would keep them nice and cool, but not unbearably cold. Sometimes one of them would start a conversation about a random thing and when it died naturally, it wasn’t awkward, it was just perfect._

_“What do you mean I’d be the first to go?! I would outlive all of you during the zombie apocalypse!” Wooyoung yelled._

_San hit him with an ‘are you kidding me’ look, “That’s a total lie and you know it.”_

_“You’re just projecting. You know I’d survive. Matter of fact, I would save all of you!”_

_“Mmm… I think Hongjoong hyung and Seonghwa hyung would actually be the ones to save us. Mingi would probably get us killed, and I think you’d somehow be involved in that.”_

_Wooyoung gave him a baffled expression and then crossed his arms over his chest. “I would not!”_

_San laughed loudly at Wooyoung’s constant resistance, “Prove it then.”_

_Wooyoung gave San a confused look, “How could I even prove that without a zombie apocalypse happening?”_

_San gave him a mischievous smile as he stood up and headed towards the staff that had the water guns and water balloons prepped. San was handed a water gun and then quickly pointed it at a very confused Wooyong whose face turned into one of horror once he saw what was in San’s hand._

_“NO! San, don’t please I’m begging you.” But it was too late for Wooyoung because San was already shooting water at him._

_“Fucking asshole!” Wooyoung yelled, totally forgetting about their date being broadcasted. He quickly stood up and headed towards the other staff that was already holding his water gun. “Choi San, you’re gonna pay.”_

_For the next half hour the two kept firing at each other back and forth. Both running to the ocean and trying to refill their water gun before the other had a chance to attack. The whole time was filled with laughter and lots of water. By the end, San and Wooyoung threw themselves over the checkered print blanket that somehow managed to stay mostly dry. Both their chest were heaving and giggles kept spilling from their lips._

_“Survive the apocalypse, my ass.” San said who managed to avoid getting hit by Wooyoung more times than he could count._

_“Shut up!” Wooyoung responded though there was no heat to his words._

_They both turned to each other and burst out laughing once more, and when they both settled San sat back up. He looked to the horizon, “Woo sit up, this is what I wanted you to see.”_

_Right before their very eyes the sun was setting, the colors were bouncing prettily off the water, and the sky seemed to hold an every changing gradient. It was the prettiest sunset Wooyoung had ever seen and when Wooyoung turned to San to thank him for the view his breath hitched._

_“It’s beautiful right?” San asked, eyes never leaving the sunset._

_“Yeah,” except Wooyoung wasn’t looking at the sunset anymore. He was looking at San, he was looking at him and he was really seeing him. He was seeing his sharp jaw, with sharp eyes to match that somehow in that moment held all the sunshine in the universe. He saw how his skin glowed with the sun, and it was beautiful. Wooyoung turned back to look at the sky, too scared to be caught staring, and although most of South Korea saw, he didn’t want San to see. As the last rays dipped beneath the ocean San let out a sigh, almost like a breath of relief._

_“I hope you had fun today…” San whispered as if scared Wooyoung was going to say he didn’t enjoy his date with him._

_“San, I had the most fun I’ve had in awhile.”_

_San turned to him and gave him a soft smile letting his dimple pop out, “Shall we head back?”_

_Truth be told, Wooyoung didn’t want it to end, but in the back of his mind he knew there would be more of these moments, “Yeah, let's go home.”_

**_Home, our home._ **

-

The rest of the members stretched after watching San and Wooyoung return home before the staff finally turned off the big screen. 

Yawning, Mingi leaned his head back and said, “Wow. I mean...wow.”

Leaning towards him, Yunho whispered, “I should have done ours better, dammit.”

Yeosang, who overheard him anyway rolled his eyes. “Oh stop it. Were you expecting anything less dramatic than that?”

“No,” the pair said in unison.

“Then I rest my case.”

Seonghwa chuckled and rolled his eyes fondly before turning his head to Hongjoong already half asleep. He was about to poke his cheek to wake him up when Jongho threw a pillow at his head, causing Hongjoong to jump in his seat.

“Yah!”

“I hope you at least witnessed Wooyoung throwing the water gun at San out of spite.”

Stretching, Hongjoong just shook his head with a grin. “Of course I did. I wouldn’t miss that for nothing.” It caused Seonghwa to scoff. Sighing to himself, Hongjoong also didn’t miss the blue rose petals that popped up repeatedly throughout their date, causing his grin to drop.

He was deep in his thoughts about the flowers, even as he greeted the members goodnight and headed with Seonghwa back to their house in a quiet walk. When Seonghwa closed the door behind him, his voice broke through.

“You’re doing it again.”

Blinking, Hongjoong peeled off his shoes and placed them on the side. “Doing what?”

“Thinking. Your face always twists a weird way whenever you’re thinking about something weird.”

Hongjoong just hums, making his way towards their bedroom with Seonghwa in tow, unable to shake off his thoughts. Once they reached the room, he sat on the bed and sighed.

“I just found it a little odd that’s all, how San used blue roses instead of red.” Hongjoong finally voiced out.

Seonghwa furrowed his eyebrows. “What’s wrong with that? Aren’t they even more special because they’re rare to have?” He asked.

Hongjoong’s mouth slid open, ready to explain why they _weren’t_ , but then he’d get asked how he knew that and he didn’t have the energy for the conversation. 

“Yeah, something like that.” He answers. Hongjoong pointedly grabs his towel quickly from one of the drawers and goes to the bathroom, ending the conversation right then and there.

Knowing that Hongjoong wouldn’t continue his thoughts any longer, Seonghwa just sighed and laid on the bed, wondering if he was missing something important. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just letting y'all know blue roses signifies unrequited love so do with that what you may.


	6. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise lovelies. A double chapter for the week to make up for lost time. <3

Yeosang took a sip of his coffee, humming to himself as he looked out the bay windows. The sky was completely clear, and the sunlight entering the room was bright enough to make the kitchen feel lively. Sitting at the table with a loose t-shirt and shorts, Yeosang sighed with content as he let the calm mood of the morning surround him, knowing that it wouldn’t last for the rest of the day. 

Rubbing his arm from a slight chill in the room, Yeosang thought back to the mid-morning when he woke up to an empty side of the bed. His bleary eyes slowly opened wide as the morning rays were already hitting him, and his gaze moved to the indent left on the mattress, telling him that it wasn’t long since Jongho had left. 

Humming, Yeosang slowly sat up on the bed and stretched, groaning from the cracks in his back and looked around for his phone. Finding it on the bedside table, he sees a little sticky note stuck on the screen when he grabs it. He recognizes the handwriting anywhere.

‘ _ Got called in by the PD-nim and didn’t want to wake you. Stay at Hongjoong hyung’s house for a bit until I call to come back. I have a surprise for you.’ _

_ ~ Jongho _

Yeosang chuckles his head in amusement and takes one more sip of coffee before getting ready for the day. Already knowing what the day was going to entail, he chose to dress comfortably but still presentable, and tied his hair up in a small ponytail after doing the rest of his business in the bathroom. 

Taking a deep breath, he leaves with his phone and wallet and closes the door behind him, making his way towards his hyung’s house. He eyed the main house along the way, knowing that Jongho was in there and planning something before reaching his hyungs’ front door and ringing the doorbell. 

The sun was now high up in the sky, and he felt the heat move through his shirt when Hongjoong opened the door with a smile. 

“Yeosang! Come in. There are leftover eggs if you haven’t eaten yet.”

“It’s alright, hyung. I already ate,” Yeosang replied, entering the house and removing his shoes. The house smelled like bacon and eggs, and he glanced at the spaciousness of the room. It was slightly bigger than their own, but the layout was just as similar. 

He followed Hongjoong through the hallway until they walked into the kitchen, where they found Seonghwa putting plates into the dishwasher. The eldest turns to them with a happy grin.

“Good to see you, Yeosang. Jongho already told us to keep you occupied.”

He raises an eyebrow at Seonghwa, then glances at Hongjoong before replying nonchalantly, “I feel like a third wheel here.”

Hongjoong chokes at his sip of water. At the same time, Seonghwa rolls his eyes and turns back to the dishes. Yeosang snickers though, not missing the blush on the eldest’s face. Making himself at home, he sits at the kitchen island with Hongjoong sitting next to him. 

“So, are you ready for today? Jongho must be planning something big if he’s keeping you with us for a while.”

“I mean, it’s not that big of a deal, right? It’s just a fake date.”

“That doesn’t mean you can’t have fun though,” Seonghwa adds, sitting opposite of Hongjoong holding a cup of coffee. “You know how Jongho is. That kid gonna want to have a whole adventure.”

“That’s a kid thing, alright.” Yeosang snorts. “If we end up rock-climbing or something, I might just die.”

His hyungs chuckle and Hongjoong pats him on the back.

“You know he’s not that much of a child, right? Maybe he’ll surprise you real good. Jongho’s always seemed like the older one, so he must have put a lot of thought into your date.”

Yeosang hums, poking the plate of eggs and lost in his thoughts.

“Maybe.”

-

**Early Morning**

_ “So, Jongho, are you excited for your first date? The bar has been set pretty high by your hyungs already.” PD-nim said. _

_ Jongho chuckles a bit and shakes his head. “It’s nothing I can’t handle. I can do better than them.” _

_ The staff behind them laugh, and PD just chuckles behind her hand. _

_ “I like your attitude. So tell me, you think you’ve got it all figured out for Yeosang? Do you think you know him well compared to the other members?” _

_ Jongho hums a bit, folding his hands together before answering, “I think I know him enough to know he doesn’t want extravagant things. Yeosang hyung is someone who would just like to spend his time doing something worth his efforts without the extra stuff.” _

_ Jongho seemed to get lost in his thoughts for a second, looking at a point at the wall before finishing, “I hope I’ve done this date justice.” _

_ He hears a few ‘awws’ in the background. PD-nim smiled at him, then tilted her head and gave him a once-over. _

_ “And the outfit? What inspired the look today?” _

_ Looking down at himself, Jongho chuckles before meeting her gaze with a wide grin. _

_ “You wouldn’t happen to have a motorcycle, would you?” _

  
  


-

  
  


Yeosang didn’t know what Jongho was planning, and albeit little nervous at the thought of their date. It’s been a long time since he’s done something like this, so he’s not sure how everything would work out between the two of them.

And when he got the call from Jongho, telling him to come back to their house, Yeosang ignored the shit-eating grins from Seonghwa and Hongjoong and the fast-pace of his chest before doing as told. 

Though, he wasn’t expecting  _ this _ .

“Jongho...what’s that?”

Said maknae leaned against a gleaming black motorcycle cruiser that had a black box in the back while wearing a matching leather black jacket and jeans. Coupled with his white t-shirt and golden skin shining under the afternoon sun, Jongho looked like a 1950’s dream. For some reason, this made Yeosang even shyer. 

Walking towards the older, he hands Yeosang a helmet with his own hanging off the cruiser's handler. There’s an easy smile on his face as Jongho says, “Wear this and hop on, hyung. We’re going for a ride on our date.” 

Yeosang doesn’t move, stares down at the helmet with wide eyes before looking up at Jongho. “Where are you taking me, exactly? And how long have you known how to ride a motorcycle?”

“Since I was 18 and wanted some freedom. And it’s a surprise, hyung.” He said with a singing tone. Getting on the motorcycle, Jongho turns to Yeosang in his knitted sweater and blue jeans and holds out his hand with a smile turning comforting. 

“Do you trust me?” He asked. 

Yeosang blinks at him a couple of times, biting down on his bottom lip before taking Jongho’s hand and allowing himself to be pulled closer. He buckles the helmet on and puts a leg over the cruiser, hoping the sun hides his blushing cheeks at his proximity to the maknae. 

With a flick of the key, the cruiser is brought to life, and it makes Yeosang jump, grabbing hold of Jongho’s waist on instinct. Feeling the warmth from Yeosang’s hands on his jacket, Jongho can’t stop the grin on his face as he revs up the engine. “Hold on tight, hyung.” He says.

“Wait, Jongho-”

Then with a twist of the handle, the cruiser takes off, and Yeosang immediately latches on tighter onto Jongho’s waist. Yeosang couldn’t stop the yelp that was released at taking off, and his heart raced as they traveled down a hill at high speeds that he felt the wind brush against his loose hair out of the helmet. He hugged close to Jongho’s body as they drove through the neighborhood and passed through the tunnel, the engine loud and echoing against the walls until they exit out, and the view takes Yeosang’s breath away.

On their left, they were greeted with the full view of the ocean, waves crashing against the rocks, and winds blowing on the trees on the other side. Yeosang couldn’t take his eyes away from the view, the feeling of being in the outside world finally hitting him, and he’s sent with a rush of joy that his initial fear was forgotten. He hears a car following them behind him, probably from the camera crew filming their trip, but Yeosang could care less. 

Unable to help himself, he lets out a yell of happiness and a laugh that only Jongho could hear from the loud winds, making the younger feel proud that he was able to give Yeosang this moment. 

It’s been so long since Yeosang felt the rush of endorphins run through his brain. Sure, performing on stage and meeting fans has given him happiness, but there’s no anxiety or fear within him as they pass through the waters before going through another tunnel. His arms around Jongho were loose enough to where they were just holding him without the tightness, letting an ease enter his body. 

It stays that way as they pass through the tunnel, and the ocean was no longer in sight but instead was becoming forests as they entered a highway. Curiosity was peeking in Yeosang as he wondered where Jongho was taking them so far until he took an exit from the freeway and saw an arrow that read ‘Drive-Through Theater’ pointing to the right. 

Yeosang gawked as Jongho followed the direction, and they passed by some houses of the mini-town before they reached an entrance to a huge clearing that had a large white screen standing at one end of the area. Slowing down, Jongho paid for the tickets, and they were let through, driving past some cars until they reached a section specifically for motorcycles and found a space for themselves. 

Yeosang still couldn’t believe where they were as he got off the cruiser after Jongho turned it off and kicked down the latch to lean it on its side. He stared up at the projector screen in awe that he didn’t see Jongho pull out a blanket and some sandwiches wrapped in a bundle from the motorcycle's black box. When the older finally turns around, the blanket was already set, and Jongho was staring up at him with a grin.

“What do you think?” He asked. Though he already knew the answer as Yeosang couldn’t stop smiling himself as he took a seat next to him. 

“I can’t believe you’d really do all this for our date. Even a simple movie would’ve been fine.” Yeosang said earnestly. He can feel the camera crew point their cameras towards them behind them, capturing their moment for the world to see. But all his attention was towards Jongho, who took off his leather jacket and placed it on the side (Yeosang did  _ not  _ glimpse at his arms). 

“I know, but I wanted to do something special for you. I know you wanted to watch a movie for a while now, and you’ve been hard on yourself lately, so I thought a good drive away from things would help.”

And it's so honest in the way Jongho tells him as if he was telling Yeosang the weather and not about how he knew how he’s been feeling a lump in his throat. He always knew the younger was more observant than he led on, but he didn’t know that it would be to this degree.

The afternoon light was getting dimmer, casting a shadow across Jongho’s face that somehow made his eyes brighter. They were filled with such sincerity that Yeosang had to look away, afraid of his expression on his own face. 

Jongho, however, stared at the way the light fell on Yeosang’s blonde hair and how he seemed to shine, even as it was getting dark and the projector turned on to show previews before the movie. Yeosang has always been pretty, and everyone has commented on how other-worldly Yeosang’s beauty is in the world. But there must be something about the mood between them, or the little hair falling over Yeosang’s face that makes Jongho murmur, “Beautiful.”

It was too soft for Yeosang to hear, and he turned to the younger while tilting his head. “Hm? Did you say something?”

“No, nothing,” Jongho replied, staring at Yeosang’s face and noticing the light blush on his cheeks. “You okay? Are you cold?”

Right on cue, a chilly breeze passes by, and it causes a shiver to run through Yeosang’s body.

Without a word, Jongho drapes his jacket over Yeosang’s body, which immediately tries pushing it away. 

“No, no, it’s fine-”

“Hyung, you’re literally shivering. Just take my jacket.” And he adds a boyish smile for charm, knowing that Yeosang wouldn’t have the guts to say no.

Grumbling to himself, Yeosang lets the jacket fall over his shoulders, the warmth from Jongho’s body enveloping him. 

Just as the movie was about to start, Yeosang mumbles, “Shouldn’t I be the doting person here? I’m the hyung.” He unconsciously pouts, staring up at the big screen. Next to him, Jongho just laughs quietly and leans back on his hands, silently passing Yeosang’s favorite snacks towards him. 

“Let me take care of you for once, hyung. It’s alright.”

Shaking his head to himself, Yeosang’s blush turns deeper, and when night finally hits, the movie begins.

-

_ The members were in the main house again, watching the date unfold on the t.v. _

_ “Wow, I didn’t know our maknae would act this grown-up.” Wooyoung comments. _

_ “I mean, I’m not surprised. Jongho has always acted older than his age.” _

_ There was a collective hum from the group on the couch, the members watching as Yeosang leaned a little closer to Jongho until he finally laid his head on Jongho’s shoulder.  _

_ Yunho let out a girlish scream. _

_ “Yes, Yeosang! Get your man!” But he gets quieted from a pillow thrown to his face by San. _

_ With Seonghwa and Hongjoong taking the loveseat together, Seonghwa leans down a little to whisper in Hongjoong’s ear. “How long do you think Jongho’s noticed Yeosang’s state?” _

_ Hongjoong shivers a little from feeling Seonghwa’s breath on his ear, but he whispers back, “Probably since last month. I know Yeosang’s been fairly quiet recently, so it's not that hard to notice.” _

_ The small leader tilts his head up to see Seonghwa’s expression, but there’s just a fond look as he gazes at their youngest member, passing a sandwich over to Yeosang, who happily takes a messy bite. _

_ “Jongho’s a good match for him, don’t you think?” Seonghwa turns his head to Hongjoong’s again, letting the smaller realize that he was staring. Looking away swiftly, Hongjoong clears his throat and turns his attention back to the screen. He was unable to stop his smile as Jongho wiped off a smear of mayonnaise at the edge of Yeosang’s lips.  _

_ “Yeah, he is.” He sighs out.  _

_ Neither of the two notice a look shared between San and Wooyoung, who witnessed their entire exchange. _

_ - _

The movie was great. Or at least, that’s what Yeosang assumed.

If anyone would ask him how the movie went, the most Yeosang could tell them was that the dramatic scene where the hero saves the girl ( _ again _ ) was his favorite because he couldn’t recall anything else. 

He was too busy trying not to keep glancing at Jongho the entire night.

The movie they watched was supposed to be the blockbuster of the year, something about a group of heroes saving the world from an evil villain ( _ “Isn’t that like every superhero movie?” “Hyung, it’s Marvel. Please pay attention.” _ )

But Yeosang’s attention was everywhere  _ except  _ the screen. 

How could he concentrate when Jongho’s cologne of forest and mahogany surrounded his senses the entire time the leather jacket was on him? Or how he bought all of Yeosang’s favorite snacks and passed them to him when he heard his stomach growling? Or the way Jongho’s broad shoulder felt comfortable enough to lean on when Yeosang kept shuffling in his seat, his back starting to hurt until Jongho pulled him in close. 

The only other scene he could name was when one of the heroes kissed his love interest, and Yeosang felt Jongho shift under him at the same time. 

(No, his chest did  _ not  _ stutter.)

Yeosang doesn’t want to think too deeply into things, doesn’t want to overbear his occupied mind, but he can’t shake off how  _ good  _ things feel. It’s almost as if they were really-

“Hyung?”

Said man blinks twice before tilting his head up to Jongho, who was already staring down at him with a soft (fond?) smile on his face. The next movie had already started, another American film but apparently, a famous romance that Yeosang again only paid half attention to. The jacket around Yeosang suddenly felt warmer. 

“Do you want to stay for the rest of the movie? We can go if you want to.”

And Jongho means it. They didn’t have to watch the next movie if Yeosang wasn’t feeling it, but he’d be lying if a selfish part in him didn’t want to stay. Internally, Jongho would be perfectly fine if they stayed, just like this with Yeosang’s head leaned on him and the scent of vanilla shampoo wafting into his nose. 

Instead (and to his slight disappointment), Yeosang pulled away and stretched a little, huffing as he felt some of his bones pop. Then he gives Jongho a matching smile. “Is it alright if we go? A ride during the night sounds fun right now.”

Jongho nods his head, and suddenly he’s hit with the idea that makes him smile wider.

“I have an idea, hyung. Let’s go.” He gets up and holds out his hand again, a slightly mischievous look in his eyes. “The night’s not over yet.”

Yeosang shakes his head in amusement and takes his hand, allowing himself to be pulled up. They gathered their food and blanket and stuffed it back into the black box of the cruiser. 

In the background, the romance movie was now showing a dinner scene between the two characters, soft music serving as a backdrop. While Jongho was packing everything up, Yeosang strayed his eyes away from the screen and to his surroundings.

Looking around, Yeosang noticed that almost every car or motorcycle here was paired with a couple, each either cuddling together or making out which Yeosang respectfully looked away when so. 

He was about to turn to Jongho when he spotted a pair of males together sitting in the trunk of their car, their positions mirroring what Yeosang and Jongho had. Their car was in the far corner of the lane, a little more secluded than other cars but close enough to where the screen was a good few feet away. Yeosang was a little surprised, considering that South Korea was still pretty homophobic and that most people knew they were out together for filming as the cameras were obvious enough.

But for some reason, Yeosang couldn’t look away.

_ “I’m in love with you.” _

Yeosang flinched as the male character’s voice boomed in the speakers. The movie continued, and Yeosang’s eyes never left the couple, one of whom was mouthing every word.

_ “I’m in love with you. And I know that love is just a shout into the void and that oblivion is inevitable. And that we’re all doomed.” _

Glancing down, Yeosang could make out intertwined hands clutching tightly together.

_ “And-one day, all of our labors will be turned to dust, and the sun will swallow the only earth we will ever have, and I am in love with you.” _

The person mouthed every line as if they wrote those words themselves. Yeosang feels like he’s choking, and when he finally turns away, it's when the person tilts his head up to his partner just as the other was already looking down at him and leaned in. He could only understand half of what the movie was saying, but the ache in his chest was telling him enough. 

He never noticed Jongho staring at him from the sideline, glancing at Yeosang’s line of sight before falling back onto him, the movie lines heard loud and clear. 

With everything packed, and a little nod towards the camera crew, he softly tugs on Yeosang’s hand and watches the elder’s eyes brought back to earth. 

“Come on, hyung. I have one last stop for our date.”

Blinking a few times, Yeosang silently nods and gets on the motorcycle again. He refused to look up at the projector screen, afraid of what was showing but took one last glance at the couple. The person’s partner nuzzled his head against their temple, the other smiling softly as he did so. 

There was an unexplainable feeling building in his chest when he looked away, and Jongho drove them out of the theater, the couple getting farther away each minute. When they finally exit out and enter back into the highway, the feeling was still there as they drove through the night.

-

_ Back in the main house, the members watched the pair ride off through the highway. _

_ “I wonder what Yeosang was staring at. He seemed pretty lost for a moment there,” Yunho asked. _

_ “Maybe he saw someone pretty,” Wooyoung answered. _

_ “Whoever it was, they surely caught his attention. The movie seemed pretty nice, though.” _

_ As the members murmured over what might have caused Yeosang’s reaction, San sat silently on the couch within his thoughts. He wonders if he imagined the male couple caught in the camera shot for just a few seconds before they panned away. _

_ “Penny for your thoughts?” _

_ Mingi elbowed him lightly, catching his attention. San just chuckles and shakes his head, watching as Jongho drives through a tunnel. _

_ “It’s nothing,” he mumbles. He glances at Wooyoung before looking away. _

_ “I was just thinking about something.” _

_ - _

The highway felt much quieter now, especially when Jongho drove them back through the forest and past the tunnel where the sea became their view once more. Not sure if it was because of the mood from the movie, or just from the peaceful atmosphere of the night, but Yeosang inched closer to Jongho’s body and leaned his head against his back, wrapping his arms around him like a hug.

Jongho was a little shocked at the action, but simply sighed and took them past the other tunnel heading back towards their beach house neighborhood. Though right before they reached their area's entrance, Jongho took a turn instead that led them straight towards the beach. The cruiser drove past a few parked cars before reaching its own spot where the staircase leading to the sand was, and that’s when Jongho turned off the motorcycle. 

Getting off the vehicle once more, Yeosang stared off into the ocean as he heard the small waves hit the shore. 

“This is where you wanted to take me?”

“You have a problem with that?”

Behind them, he can hear the camera crew click off a few photos. Though, all Yeosang wanted to listen to was the water.

“Not at all.” He grins. “It’s perfect.”

Jongho mirrors his reaction, and together the two walk past the staircase and into the sand, taking off their shoes along the way. The sand was soft and cool on Yeosang’s feet, and he couldn’t help but wiggle his toes and giggle at the funny feeling. Jongho walked right beside him, grinning the entire time, chuckling at how Yeosang whined at the sand, getting on his jeans. 

“Nice to know this is funny to you,” Yeosang grumbled.

“I can’t help it,” Jongho chided. “You’re whining like a little kid.”

“I hope sand gets stuck under your toenails for a  _ week _ .” 

Sharing a laugh, the pair walks closer to the water along where the waves stop at the sand. Glancing at the sky, Yeosang looked up at the billions of stars mapping the night. It was clear of any clouds, and at the corner was the crescent moon shining brightly with the rest of its friends.

“I thought bringing you here would give you peace of mind.”

Jongho’s voice broke the silence.

“Is it working?” He asked.

Yeosang turned to face him as they kept walking, the younger facing straight ahead of their path. Jongho seemed to glow the entire time they’ve been together.

Softly, Yeosang murmurs, “Have I been that much of a mess?”

“No, you’re not a mess, hyung,” Jongho immediately denied. “I just know you’ve been harsh on yourself since our comeback, and I was hoping the beach would be a good place to let yourself break free. Just for a little while.”

Yeosang huffs, crossing his arms as another breeze flies by.

“You think you know me so well, do you?” He grumbles. “Our maknae being the eldest as always.”

It gets Jongho to chuckle and stops in place, Yeosang stopping a few steps ahead and turned to him with a questioning gaze.

“Just because I’m your maknae, hyung, doesn’t mean you can’t depend on me,” Jongho says, tone deep and knowing as he looks into Yeosang’s eyes. For a brief second, Yeosang wonders if he remembers they’re on camera.

“Jongho-”

“I mean it, hyung.” Like a switch, Jongho’s face changes from being serious to a boyish grin as he steps up to him with easy grace. “Don’t be afraid to lean on me when things get hard. I’ve got you.”

For the second time, the choking feeling comes back along with the ache in Yeosang’s chest that he felt at the theater. Not trusting his voice, he shoves his hands into his pockets and nods his head, unable to hold back his own smile, albeit a little more crooked. 

“Okay,” he finally mumbles. 

“Okay,” Jongho replies. 

Yeosang purses his lips, not knowing what to say. Thankfully, Jongho gets the hint and takes a step back, tilting his head towards the parking lot. 

Taking one look at Jongho’s soft smile, Yeosang walks forward until they're side by side, making their way back together. He doesn’t know what type of face he’s making, but he hopes its a good one that causes Jongho to glance at him from time to time until they’re back at the parking lot. 

Putting on their shoes and dusting themselves off, the ride back to their house was peaceful and short. 

_ Too short, _ a little voice said in the back of Yeosang’s subconscious. 

When Jongho parks the motorcycle at the front of their house, Yeosang glances at the main house where he knows all the members are watching them for the last few moments. He takes off the helmet and gives it to Jongho, who takes both of their own. Staring at the younger, he realized that he’s been wearing his leather jacket the entire time they’ve left the theater. 

“Are you not cold? I should have given the jacket back to you earlier,” he scolds himself. But Jongho just shakes his head, the two of them walking towards the front door before Jongho unlocks it.

“I’m fine. I know you get cold easily anyway, so it's better that you have it.”

Then Jongho strides into the house with the helmets in hand, plopping the keys onto a ceramic bowl like he’s done it a hundred times, and Yeosang’s thinking. 

As he closes the door, he waves at the staff from the car who waves back in goodbye, and soon it’s just the two of them in their huge beach house. When Yeosang turns around, Jongho’s putting his wallet and phone on the kitchen table while ruffling his hair after it got messy from the wind, and in a split second, Yeosang feels like he’s in another life.

In another world, maybe he’d be ruffling Jongho’s hair for him, and then Jongho would laugh and say something along the lines of ‘ _ stop babying me _ ,’ and then maybe he’ll give him a look the same way the male character in the movie gave to the girl and then-

“Hyung?”

Yeosang blinks.

“Are you alright?”

Jongho’s standing in front of him, concern written all over his face. His hair is still ruffled the wrong way.

Yeosang nods, smiling.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

-

“And  _ that  _ concludes the ‘serious’ couple,” Wooyoung claps as soon as the staff turns off the t.v.

“You know, I’m glad Yeosang got partnered up with Jongho. He really has looked stressed lately, so I think Jongho did a really good job in helping with that.” Mingi commented as he stretched his long legs. 

They all gave a collective nod, then Wooyoung looked between Seonghwa and Hongjoong with a smirk as they were all leaving the main house. 

“The two of you better make people  _ cry  _ with your date tomorrow if you want to win the competition.” 

“I don’t know about that, Wooyoung,” San said while they walked, throwing an arm over the smaller shoulders. “They might be too clueless enough with each other to do that.”

“Hey!” Hongjoong and Seonghwa cried in unison. 

The rest of the members cackled as they bid each other good night, and San and Wooyoung laughed amongst themselves as they entered their house.

As he took a seat in the living room, Wooyoung asked, “Do you think Yeosang will be okay?”

Taking the seat next to him, San answers, “I mean, Jongho told him he’d be there for him, right? I’m sure he’s in good hands.”

Wooyoung hums, folding his legs under him. “I still want to know what made Yeosang freeze like that. It’s like he was spooked or something.”

San leaned back on the couch, gazing as Wooyoung totter in his seat like a little kid. 

_ Cute. _

From the corner of his eye, he caught his reflection in the mirror and the way he was looking at Wooyoung. And when he recalls back to Yeosang’s date, the flash of the male couple came to mind, then the emotion he saw written on Yeosang’s face. 

“I think…” he finally says, catching Wooyoung’s attention.

“I think Yeosang’s going to be just fine.”

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to post the next chapter after Chelsea to make up for the time we've been gone. This was immediately in the works as soon as the last chapter was started because we were in a good writing flow that I couldn't resist posting this chapter. Thank you all so much for reading and patiently waiting as we tried to get our shit together 🤪 Let us know what you guys think so far, and all comments are deeply appreciated.
> 
> Stay safe out there and see you in the next chapter!


	7. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been too fucking long and I'm so sorry but we're back. Life has just been taking over us lately, but we managed to find time to write the next chapters ahead, so hope you enjoy!
> 
> Also, I hope I didn't make Hongjoong seem too anxious or broody in this chapter. I just wanted him to portray as someone who overthinks a lot, because I feel like the trope of Joong being an anxious person gets overused when we all know he's a bad bitch-
> 
> ANYWAYS, comments and kudos always appreciated, and thank you for waiting patiently. Let us know what you think, and next chapter coming soon!
> 
> Until next chapter <3

The first thing Seonghwa wakes up to is Hongjoong’s sleeping face.

Blinking once then twice, Seonghwa gazed at how the light escaping through the curtains hit Hongjoong’s bed hair, his shining white streaks making him more fairy-like than he already was.

Seonghwa thought sharing the same bed would make them a little awkward, the setting unusual from sleeping in separate beds, but Hongjoong didn’t seem to mind at all. Maybe it was from being roommates for a long time, or how tired he was after every episode of the marriage show that just sends him to sleep. Still, Seonghwa never complains.

The pillow barrier that was between them was tossed off the bed, probably from all the shuffling in their sleep. Hongjoong's body was completely covered with the edge of the blanket just reaching his neck, a contrast to how half of Seonghwa was left open to the room. He doesn't know why he stares at the leader longer than he should be, unable to tear away from the sight of Hongjoong naturally pouting and scrunching his nose in his sleep. It's not until Hongjoong fidgets that Seonghwa decides he's had enough and finally looks away, slowly sitting up on the bed.

Just then, his phone vibrates on the bed stand and he makes a grab for it to see the message.

_“It's your turn, Seonghwa! You get to decide the final date between you and Hongjoong, so come over to the main house in about 20 minutes.”_

_\- PD-nim_

Seonghwa reads the text message and sighs before running his hand through his hair.

“It’s too early for you to nag like that.”

The hair in the back of Seonghwa’s neck rises as Hongjoong’s husky morning voice reverberates in his ears. He turns to the leader, whose head was still on the pillow with eyes struggling to open. Though, his gaze still falls on Seonghwa with an easy smile. 

“Was that PD-nim who just texted you?”

Seonghwa was still recovering from how nice Hongjoong looked when he woke up. 

“Yeah. I have to go get ready now, probably just grab a bite of toast before I go.”

Hongjoong hums before slowly getting up, the blanket falling off his body and revealing the light skin of his legs that catches Seonghwa’s attention. Then, Hongjoong hops off the bed and halfway out the room when he says, “Go take a shower and dress. I’ll make the toast and coffee for you.” And he’s out the door without another word. 

Seonghwa can only watch him leave. And when he finishes showering and dressing up, coming into the kitchen seeing Hongjoong plop toasts and coffee on the counter in all his Jack-Frost aesthetic glory (and _shorts_ ), he shoves the word _domestic_ popping in his brain in a deep, dark file and mentally locks it away.

“Hi! Better eat quickly if you don’t want to be late.” Hongjoong pushes the plate and coffee mug towards him with a smile, as if he’s done this everyday. 

_Now_ **_that’s_ ** _a thought._

“The house is close enough so I have time,” Seonghwa grumbles, eyebrows furrowed and thinking to himself of _what the fuck are my thoughts right now?_

Once he finishes the toast with strawberry jam, he takes one last sip of coffee before asking, “Aren’t you nervous?”

Hongjoong, who was spreading jam on his own bread, looked confused. 

“Nervous about what?”

“I mean, today should be our turn for ‘date’ night. And it’s basically a competition, remember?”

The leader just hums and swings his legs underneath the table as he takes a bite. 

“I have nothing to worry about. Besides, it’s really not that serious, and I’m sure whatever you got planned for today will go well.”

Seonghwa blinks a couple of times at him, watching the morning blush on Hongjoong’s cheeks heighten as he drinks his warm coffee. The white t-shirt he has on is oversized, covering the already _short_ shorts that just left pale legs to be seen everywhere. His hair looks like snow.

At this very moment, they’re in a different world. 

“I could take you somewhere boring.”

“No, you wouldn’t. You’re not _that_ much of a prude.”

“I can embarrass you with my disgusting cliche-ness.”

Hongjoong looks deadpan. “We embarrass ourselves enough. It’s normal.”

And it’s this banter, this back and forth ribbing of each other that Seonghwa doesn’t think when he says, “I’ll make us play the peppero game and fucking kiss you in front of the cameras.”

The new world shatters right before him.

It goes completely silent for Seonghwa to realize what he just said. 

The burnt bread just hangs on Hongjoong’s hand, limp as the other’s face was unreadable while Seonghwa started panicking in his mind. 

_This is weird this is weird I made this weird this is weird this is-_

“I’d like to see you fucking _try_ , Hwa Hwa. Although I’m sure you wouldn’t want to deal with the twins Wooyoung and San teasing you for everything right after.”

Hongjoong grins at him, easily, like whatever just happened wasn’t weird at all.

Then Seonghwa gets a new text, and he knows it’s from the PD asking where he is when he glances at the clock showing the time. 

“You better get going.”

“Hongjoong, I-”

“ _Go_ , Seonghwa,” Hongjoong’s already out of his seat and pulling him to the foyer before Seonghwa could even talk, giggling as he does so. “You’re already running late so run for it. I’ll be here when you get back.” And he smiles earnestly, flicking away a small feather from Seonghwa’s jacket and Seonghwa’s mind is just blank.

He doesn’t even know what to say and just puts on his shoes and walks out the door, entirely with a blank mind until he reaches the front door of the main house.

And when Seonghwa’s gone, and the front door closes with Hongjoong left alone in the house, is when Hongjoong lets out a shuddering breath and drops to his knees on the floor. 

“ _What the fuck.”_

*

_“I’m so sorry I’m late. I got caught up in breakfast.”_

_“Caught up by breakfast or your partner?”_

_Seonghwa chokes on his sip of water, causing the staff to laugh around them._

_PD-nim herself giggled behind her hand before shaking her head good-naturedly. “It’s okay Seonghwa, I’m just teasing. I thought joking would help because you seem pretty tense.”_

_Seonghwa just chuckles nervously, still recovering from his slip up._

_“I’m just nervous for today. Truthfully,” he plays with his fingers on his lap. “I’m not sure what to do for my date.”_

_The way PD’s eyebrows slightly rise has a rush of shame flow through Seonghwa’s body._

_“That’s a little surprising, Seonghwa. You seem like the type to plan everything out.”_

_“I usually am, but for some reason I couldn’t think of anything,” he answered honestly._

_There must have been a look on his face that had the PD smile understandingly that it lets him relax a little. For the first time out of all the pairs, she places down the clipboard for notes on the table between them and leans back on the chair with crossed legs._

_“Well, let’s take it step by step! A date is usually meant for two people to learn about each other, but considering you both already know each other, take this day to as your advantage to show how much you see him.”_

_Seonghwa leans back on his seat in thought before nodding his head, finding the advice helpful._

_“First, what are some things you know about Hongjoong? Like his passions or even dislikes?”_

_“Well, he dislikes annoying kids. Meaning our members.”_

_The staff laugh out loud, making Seonghwa smile a little wider._

_“And for passions, I mean…” Seonghwa took a moment, thinking hard within his mind of things he’s seen Hongjoong do. Then he’s hit with something._

_“He’s very artistic. He likes remaking his clothes all the time so they match to his taste. Sometimes our room back in the dorm would smell like paint for a while because of how much he used it on a jacket.”_

_It was almost a ramble, and Seonghwa paused himself again when he realized he was just doing that. PD-nim however, was grinning widely._

_“It looks like you observe him long enough to know something that special.”_

_“I mean,” Seonghwa’s blush deepened. “It’s not that big of a deal, and it’s not hard to miss him either doing projects in our room.” He comes off a little defensive, he knows, but he can’t do anything about the knowing look on PD’s face either way._

_“Well, Seonghwa. Has it occurred to you that knowing this small detail of Hongjoong can actually help you on your date?” She suggests._

_Seonghwa opens his mouth to tell her no, that he still has no clue until he thinks back to the way Hongjoong stared at the walls sometimes with a paintbrush in between his fingers before he starts laying the colors onto his stuff. He remembers the emotions running through each facial expression he has before it all falls blank in concentration._

_And Seonghwa finally got it._

_“Would you mind if I borrow a truck?”_

_*_

“Hyung, you’re pacing.”

“I know that, Yeosang.”

“You’re making indents on the carpet, you animal!” 

“Wooyoung, _please_.”

Hongjoong looks exasperated at the two sitting on the couch staring back unimpressed. Yeosang sat back with arms crossed, raising one eyebrow at the older member while Wooyoung had a smug look on his face.

“Hyung, this really isn’t a big deal. What’s got you nervous?”

Seonghwa’s slip-up immediately came to mind, but Hongjoong shook his head rapidly before _that_ thought could come back full force. Unfortunately, Yeosang caught his hesitance and his eyes turned into slits. 

“Did you two fuck?”

“ _Yeosang!_ ”

“Oh my god, I never knew you’d put out first before a first date.” Wooyoung placed a hand on his chest dramatically with a gasp. “How _could you_?”

“We did _not_ fuck, okay. We’re perfectly fine. It's just, I’m afraid this might make everything awkward between us if it goes wrong.”

“More awkward than the two of you already are-ow!” Wooyoung cried out as Yeosang hit him on the arm. Then he turned back to Hongjoong with a serious look on his face. “Hyung, everything will be fine. Things will only go wrong if you let them.”

“But I don’t want it to, Yeosang.” Hongjoong replied, finally sitting himself down on the loveseat. 

“I refuse to have an embarrassing date with my own member on national television and be haunted by it for the rest of my life.” He shivered at the thought of cameras following him everywhere he went to capture future mishaps. 

The group sat quietly for a moment, letting their thoughts run freely in their mind before Yeosang leaned in thoughtfully.

“Don’t you trust Seonghwa hyung?”

“With my life,” Hongjoong instantly replied. And he had to take a second to realize he said it unconsciously. But Yeosang and Wooyoung looked unbothered. 

“Then what’s the problem?” Wooyoung asked. 

Hongjoong bites down on his bottom lip, and he feels a headache starting to form from how much he’s thinking because he doesn’t _know_. It’s not a serious date at all, and he’s going to play things off with Seonghwa disgustingly for the fans like they always do, but Hongjoong _doesn’t. Know._

Before he could even answer, the phone in his pocket starts to buzz, and he bites down even harder when he sees Seonghwa’s name.

“Hey.” If his voice breaks on the syllable, his two members don't comment.

_“Hi, are you dressed yet?”_

Hongjoong sucks in a breath as he looks down at the pajamas he still had on from this morning. 

“Not yet, but give me twenty minutes if that’s okay?”

 _“That’s perfectly fine.”_ Hongjoong could hear a smile on his face. _“I’ll be waiting in the front of the house, so just come out when you’re done.”_

“Alright, see you in a minute.” And Hongjoong hangs up just as Yeosang and Wooyoung make a grab for him.

“Wait-wait! What are you guys doing?!” He shrieks as the two drag him to the bedroom and Wooyoung swings the closet doors open. 

“All of us have been waiting for you two idiots to make out on t.v. for years, and we _refuse_ to lose this opportunity just because you can’t dress right.”

“Hey!”

But Hongjoong’s cries went ignored as the pair rummaged through his clothes and nit-picked each shirt and dress pants before finally choosing dark jeans and a white button up silk shirt that stuck intimately to Hongjoong’s body. Fitted with his ring accessories and loafers, Yeosang took a step back and whistled as he took in Hongjoong head to toe. 

“That silk shirt does wonders.”

“Seonghwa isn’t even dressed up to this degree.” Hongjoong whined. 

“Shush, hyung. Your assets are the most important part of this outfit and you know it.”

It took a minute for Hongjoong to understand what he meant before gasping and covering his chests with his arms, turning extremely red from the way the two stared at the exact place.

“Stop staring!” 

“If not us then Seonghwa.” Yeosang said to Wooyoung, who only nodded in agreement. 

The two of them started pushing Hongjoong out the door, ignoring his complaints about rough treatment and manhandling ( _“Don’t act like you don’t want Seonghwa doing it to you-” “No!”_ ), and opening the front door to see Seonghwa in view. 

The oldest was standing right by a silver truck, leaning on the door with his tan jacket seeming brighter then the sun. He was busy staring at his phone when he heard the members and looked up and froze. His eyes widened at the sight of Hongjoong’s outfit bright and smooth enough to look painted on his skin. Seonghwa almost forgets about the two idiots pushing him around with no regard.

The minute Hongjoong was out the door, him and Seonghwa got caught in each other’s gaze when Hongjoong looks up. Seonghwa’s eyes trailed down to the rest of his body, with Hongjoong not knowing what to make out of the blank expression on his face. The button-up was long-sleeved and covered Hongjoong’s arms down to his hands, but for a split-second Hongjoong felt naked.

Right behind him, the annoying pair slammed the front door shut and waved to Seonghwa.

“You better bring him back in one piece, mister. And don’t keep him out too late.” Wooyoung placed his hands on his hips and spoke like a father scolding his daughter’s date. Yeosang, on the other hand, just sent the oldest a smirk.

“Be careful with Hongjoong hyung’s shirt. The buttons are delicate enough to rip off easily.”

Hongjoong sputters after the two as they run off back to their houses, laughing evilly and away from Hongjoong’s grasps. 

Huffing, Hongjoong turned back to Seonghwa who had an unreadable look on his face still staring at him. 

“What? What is it?” Hongjoong looked down at his outfit and twisted around to see any missed dirt or markings. “Is something on me or what?”

It seemed to snap Seonghwa out of his daze and shake his head. “No, no. You look great. Amazing, actually.”

“Ah,” Hongjoong lets out a tiny smile, feeling bashful all of a sudden. “Thank you.”

Seonghwa only hums before he turns around and opens the door of the passenger seat. Hongjoong raises his eyebrows in surprise. 

“You can drive?”

“Since a year ago. Now hop in.” Seonghwa tilts his head with a grin towards the car, and Hongjoong slowly approaches it while eyeing him carefully. Right before he goes in, he turns to Seonghwa with mock suspicion. 

“How do I know you’re not going to kill me?” He asked accusingly. 

Seonghwa’s grin widens. “Well, do you trust me?”

Hongjoong’s mouth slid open to retort, but thought better of it and took his seat. Seonghwa closed the door and went around the car to get into the drivers and turned on the engine. The luxury car released a soft hum soothing enough to have Hongjoong lean back a little more relaxed on the leather seat.

“Should I even ask where you got the truck from? And what our budget is?” He asks as he glanced at the tiny camera stationed in the middle of the dashboard. 

Seonghwa just shakes his head and takes the car out of the parking spot.

“Nope.”

*

Hongjoong’s eyes were bright as he stared out the window to the view. 

They were driving out past the scenery that Jongho and Yeosang saw to reach downtown, the sea bright and blue from the sun. Hongjoong now understood why Yeosang reacted so happily, feeling the sense of freedom in every mile they crossed. Though, his member right beside him was thinking of everything else. 

Seonghwa forced his eyes to stay on the road because he knows if he turns to Hongjoong for a second, it’ll turn into minutes that would cost them an accident. 

Because it’s not fair that he’s out on their date only with faded jeans and a black t-shirt with a cardigan, but Hongjoong’s wearing a fancy silk-button up that literally _sticks_ to his skin. He looks like he’s ready to go for a night out with someone rich at a high-end restaurant, and Seonghwa feels incredibly underdressed at the moment and he feels a little like _moping -_

“I didn’t get to tell you this morning,” Hongjoong’s voice breaks out of his thoughts. “But you look nice.”

Oh.

“Big compliment from someone who looks like they’re about to go eat dinner with a rich husband.”

“I can’t tell if you just complimented me or called me a gold-digger.”

Seonghwa shrugs, but there’s a hanging smirk on his lips.  
  
“Well, I mean -” 

“ _Don’t._ ”

Seonghwa pursed his lips to a thin line, but there was a quirk at the edge of his lips that had Hongjoong shaking his head in laughter and soon Seonghwa joined in.

“Where are you taking me anyway? Somewhere to the movies like Jongho and Yeosang?”

“Not quite. I figured if I’m taking you on a date, it should be somewhere that fits you well.” 

Hongjoong suddenly gasped, “You’re taking me to a My Chemical Romance concert?!”

“First of all, they’re broken up - “

“ _How could you say that?!_ ”

“Secondly, no. And third, seriously? _That’s_ what you want for a date? An emo-filled screaming concert?”

“Hey, I’m an emotional person.”

At a red light, Seonghwa turns to him with the biggest deadpan face he could muster. “You literally cringe when someone tries to express affection towards you.” 

Hongjoong slowly looks away as he leans further back on the seat. “I’m an emotional person with a capacity limit.”

Seonghwa ugly snorts, causing Hongjoong to slap him lightly on the arm right before the light turned green. 

“So? Where are you taking me then?” He asked again, crossing his arms over his chest. 

The other taps his finger on the steering wheel absently, the smirk changing into a smile forming on his face. 

“Don’t worry. You’re going to love it.”

*

**Back at the Main House**

_The members shook their heads as they witnessed the exchange between their oldest hyungs._

_“I can’t believe Seonghwa just called Hongjoong an underlying gold-digger,” Mingi said in awe._

_“Well, I’m not surprised those two bickered in the car about a freakin 'date.” Jongho uttered._

_Yeosang, who was sitting by his side chuckled softly. “It wouldn’t be a Seonghwa and Hongjoong hyung date without a little fighting in between.”_

_The rest of them laughed as they watched as Hongjoong’s whining of Seonghwa being secretive echoed in the living room, right before their leader’s eyes widened. When the camera shifted from their faces to the outside, San snorted and shook his head._

_“Why am I not surprised.”_

_*_

Hongjoong loves it. 

Their date, he means, as he enters the large art gallery that was centered in a corner of the city. After passing the grand entrance and into the greek exhibition, Hongjoong can feel inspiration for songs coming in his system as he stares at the engraved black vases filled with heroes. In the glass reflection, Seonghwa’s on his side, gazing at the artifact. A few feet behind, a cameraman has his camera pointing at them, and Hongjoong for a second wishes he wasn’t there.

“I take it you like our date so far.”

He feels Seonghwa’s eyes on him as his own stay on the gold carving of a god. 

“It’s alright, I guess,” he shrugs. Unable to hide the smile on his face. “Though, I’m assuming we’re not just here to see the fancy jewelry or haunted historical paintings.” 

Hongjoong finally turns to Seonghwa, whose gaze was still on him with a knowing smile that made him nervous. 

“Nope.”

Then, Seonghwa takes his hand and tugs Hongjoong deeper into the museum, passing by the egyptian statues and the crowd gathered around a famous italian painting before they reach an open corridor dedicated to Da Vinci. A guard was standing by one of the double doors, and Seonghwa handed him two tickets as they walked inside. 

The room was bright with cream-colored walls, and there were a few other people sitting in spread-out chairs with marble statues in the middle of the room. Seonghwa’s hold on his hand was warm as he led them to a couple of seats closest to the statues, sketchbooks laid right next to them. 

When Hongjoong takes his seat, he sees that most of the other pairs were just couples, some whispering to each other with grins on their faces. 

Just then, a fashionable man with a burrett sauntered in and opened his arms wide in welcome.

“ _Hello_ , my fabulous artists! I’m incredibly delighted to welcome you to our artistic event of the week.”

Everyone greeted the man as he moved to the center of the room. 

“Now, judging by who’s here, I can see that many of you are here for a date,” he says with a smirk, eyeing all the pairs with a knowing look.

“So for today, we’re going to be doing something different. Usually I’d have everyone here sketching these beautiful statues brought over from Greece as left overs from the empire, but that’s a little boring don’t you think? So instead, I want _you_ ,” he points his finger across the crowd. “To use these statues to sketch _your_ own inspirations instead. Draw something that inspires you everyday, or even just a quick second.”

There was a murmur in the room as couples talked in excitement. 

Hongjoong’s eyes widened as he turned to look at Seonghwa, but the other already had his sketchbook in hand and flipped over to a blank page. Though there was no mistaking the smug look he had. 

“Seriously?”

“Shh, Hongjoong. I’m trying to let out my creativity.” Seongha hushed him. Hongjoong huffed before taking his own sketchbook and staring down at the blank page in thought. Around him, he could hear the rustling of pencils dragging across the light brown paper and squiggles from the circular motions. Seonghwa next to him has already drawn an outline of an oval shape, slowly becoming a face as he darkens the exterior and adds more details to the curves.

“Are you stuck young man?”

Hongjoong jumps at the sound of the teacher, looking apologetic. “Sorry, I’m not sure what to draw to be honest.”

The man hums, rubbing a finger on his chin before snapping his finger.

“Ah, how about this? Is there a specific person you think of the most? Someone that comes to mind more often than not?”

Hongjoong blinks a few times as he stares down his sketchbook. Seonghwa glanced at him from the sidelines, a little worried until Hongjoong’s face brightened suddenly and held the pencil ready. “I got it!”

The teacher pats him on the back and moves on, leaving the two together to their endeavors. 

A few minutes went by, and Seonghwa’s sketch was coming together slowly with each strand of hair he draws. 

“Who are you sketching?” 

Seonghwa hums. “It’s a secret.”

Glancing at his side, Hongjoong’s snorts “How nice.” He darkens his outline. “And you?”

Hongjoong bites down on his bottom lip and Seonghwa does _not_ stare. “It’s a secret.”

“Oh come on.”

“Nope,” Hongjoong turns to the side, hiding his sketchbook away from Seonghwa. “That’s what you get.”

Seonghwa pouts but continues on sketching anyway, undeterred by Hongjoong’s stubbornness. They continue on for a few more minutes until the teacher claps his hands for attention, every couple pausing their movements. 

“Alright! Now, I want you to turn to your partner for a moment face to face please,” he takes a pause for the pairs to do as told. “Good, and I want you to tell that person what made you sketch the inspiration on your paper. And...go!” 

There was an immediate buzz from the couples as they started explaining the sketches on their books. Hongjoong turned his body towards Seonghwa and held the sketchbook to his chest. 

“Okay, you go first.”

Seonghwa glances down at his sketchbook for a second before looking up, “I drew a person as inspiration. Everytime I see them, they inspire me to be better in the things I do. And anytime I think about how my life has become,” Seonghwa pauses, a dazed look crosses his eyes before he’s brought back to earth. “I somehow end up thinking about them the most.”

For some reason, the way Seonghwa talks about this person makes Hongjoong’s skin briefly itch. The amount of affection he had in his voice would make any listener blush, but Hongjoong can’t look away from Seonghwa’s intense gaze when he meets his eyes, and he doesn’t know what to make of it. 

“Now it's your turn,” Seonghwa says.

“Alright, um,” Hongjoong clears his throat and plays with the collar of his shirt as he looked down at his drawing. Without looking up he says, “I actually drew a person too and I…” Seonghwa watches him thumb the sketch softly in the corner. “They were the first person that came to mind.” 

The fact that Seonghwa doesn’t know who Hongjoong had drawn makes his chest uncomfortable. 

“When I’m writing in the studio, or whenever I’m trying to create a run for a song, I keep imagining how they’d fit. Or how they’d sing it or how well it would go with their voice. And then my lyrics end up being based on them and how they appear in front of me, and the way they give me whiplash just stuns a guy sometimes.” 

Then, he finally looks up with a soft smile.

“But I like it.”

When Seonghwa swallows, it's a heavy feeling going down his throat from how envious he feels at the very moment. In all the years he’s known Hongjoong, he’s never known the other to hold someone that high of a standard in his life that wasn’t his family. He’s always made everyone he loves equal, and the members know that Hongjoong has nothing but love and affection for them no matter what.

But this...it feels too intimate and personal. 

“If I tell you who I drew,” Seonghwa starts, proud that his voice didn’t shake. “Will you tell me yours?”

The hesitance in Hongjoong’s face makes Seonghwa more nervous, but he keeps a neutral expression. 

“Okay,” he replied. “Tell me.”

“I drew -”

“Attention please!”

Cursing under his breath, Seonghwa gives the teacher his attention, placing his sketch hidden flat on his lap. Hongjoong does the same, but disappointment settles within him as he no longer hears whatever the teacher is saying. He’s too lost in thinking about how nice Seonghwa looked when gazing at his drawing. Or how he hoped to say it was him.

“I hope this small exercise has changed your lives and see things in a new perspective. Remember, the art you create is not just your imagination; it is your _life_.” 

Hongjoong wonders if the glance to him was an illusion. 

“The art you created today is yours to keep, so just rip off the paper if you wish to keep whatever you drew as a great memory.”

On cue, the sound of ripping paper echoed in the room, Hongjoong taking his sketch off with a rush while Seonghwa ripped his more delicately. Watching him, Hongjoong thinks in his head how fitting it is for the other.

“Thank you all for a special hour of your time, and have a great day!”

A collective applause broke out in the room as everyone thanked the teacher who dramatically bowed. As the crowd was leaving, voices of laughter filled the air as couples chatted with each other about the experience, but Hongjoong and Seonghwa walked behind them quietly deep in their heads. 

When the door closed behind them, however, Seonghwa took hold of Hongjoong’s hand and said, “Come on. I have one more place to take you.”

Ignoring how warm Seonghwa’s hand was in his, Hongjoong tried to pace himself along with the other. 

“You mean this wasn’t our date?”

“No, it is our date. Just part one,” and Seonghwa tightens his grip on his hand as he leads them through the large crowds gathered again in the main entrance before they exit the building, making their way towards the car. Looking up at the sky, Hongjoong was surprised at the sky slowly turning into a bright orange, with tints of blue reaching the horizon. He never realized they were inside for so long.

Jumping into their seats, Seonghwa pulled them out of the lot and back into the highway, exiting the city and to the more rural area. From the side view mirror, Hongjoong sees the camera crew following behind in their van and he chuckles to himself softly.

“What’s so funny?” Seonghwa asked. 

Hongjoong turned to him and looked at the way Seonghwa leaned back on his chair relaxed, schooling an easy expression on his face as he drove with one hand and the other leaned on the armrest.

_Too easy._

“You know, if it weren’t for the cameras behind us, I’d believe we really are on a date.”

“And you don’t think we’re on one now?”

“I mean, we are. I just…” The pause in Hongjoong’s sentence has Seonghwa glancing over, and accidentally meets Hongjoong’s gaze who was staring at him differently. He doesn’t know why, but the small daze in the smaller’s’ eyes as he looks at him, or the softness around the edges of his face brings back the uncomfortable tightness in Seonghwa’s chest. 

And just like that, a resigned look crosses Hongjoong’s face and he turns away. 

“Never mind, sorry.” 

Seonghwa bites his lip and keeps driving, not knowing what to say. He doesn’t want to pry, knowing Hongjoong keeps his thoughts to himself most of the time and he refuses to be an asshole that pushes him. Though, he can’t deny wanting to know what Hongjoong wanted to say.

After a few more turns up to a winding road, Hongjoong’s eyes widened when the ground turned to gravel as they went up a small hill. On his right was the forest, and the sunset gave an orange hue to the trees that made it look magical. 

A little more up the drive and Seonghwa finally parks the car at an outlook of the city. He parked it in a way that the back faced the view, and Hongjoong jumped out of the car excited. He walked towards the edge of the outlook, leaning forwards on the railing to see all of the twinkling city lights. Hongjoong sighs to himself, the wind making him shiver for a second but he doesn’t mind.

When he turns around, Seonghwa had the back open with a blanket set over the trunk with a mini basket in the corner. He sat on one side of the rear, eyes already trained on Hongjoong that he shivers for an entirely different reason. 

“So this is where our date ends? Right next to a cliff of death?”

“You know, you can be honest with yourself and just say it's beautiful out here,” Seonghwa relents.

Hongjoong’s mouth slid open, and Seonghwa was ready to retort from whatever he was going to say until Hongjoong says, “You’re right.” 

Hongjoong looks straight at him with a smile.

“It’s beautiful.”

From a few feet away, he hears camera shutters and refrains from rolling his eyes.

Swallowing, Seonghwa pats the seat next to him and Hongjoong obliges, shuffling until he feels comfortable in the tiny space. The two left their minds to wander as they stared off into the city, the sun slowly setting above them and setting the more intimate mood. 

Suddenly, Seonghwa grabbed the mini basket and opened it, taking out a box of chocolate pocky’s that has Hongjoong’s face turning bright red. Seonghwa see’s it and decides to tease.

“Want one?”

Hongjoong clears his throat and tries to ignore the knowing look on Seonghwa’s face. “No, no. I’m okay.”

“You sure? I know you like pocky's so I bought some.”

_Fucker._

Hongjoong could tell by the growing smirk on Seonghwa’s face that he was doing this on purpose. He knows he’s doing this because of what happened in the morning and -

_Fucker._

_Two can play at that game._

“Is this where you ask to play the pocky game and kiss me or?” 

The miniscule raise of an eyebrow tells Hongjoong that Seonghwa’s been caught, but he doesn’t back down. Instead, the fucker _pushes the chocolates towards him_ even _more_. His smirk was full on.

“If that’s what you want.”

“ _Seonghwa._ ” 

*

_Yunho choked from his sip of water, and Mingi patted his back to help him cough._

_Wooyoung yelled as he witnessed the exchange and threw a pillow that barely missed the t.v._

_“What the fuck was that?! Sorry,” he waves sorry to the staff for cursing._

_Jongho sighed to himself from the loveseat and shook his head. “Either Seonghwa hyung has a death wish, or we’re missing something here.”_

_“Both,” Mingi said, and all of them watched as Seonghwa pushed the box even more to their leader, whose face was turning redder by the minute._

_“Definitely both,” San agrees, nodding._

_From his seat on the couch, Yeosang released a long sigh as Seonghwa gave up from Hongjoong’s rejections, but didn’t miss the fond smile on both their faces. Their attention was back to the scenery in front of them, but Yeosang see’s the way their bodies angle towards each other naturally._

_He bets his entire credit card that the pocky bit was entirely planned by the eldest, and he sighs one more time._

_“These idiots, I swear.”_

_*_

The sun had finally set, and the city below the mountains lit up brightly to give it life. 

The atmosphere was slowly getting cooler, so Seonghwa brought out an extra blanket from the basket and draped it over the smaller. Hongjoong tried pushing it away, but Seonghwa was just as stubborn as him.

“Seonghwa, wait. What about you?”

“My cardigan’s warm enough. Just take it. Besides,” he eyes Hongjoong’s silk shirt sticking to his skin. “You’re just gonna get colder by the minute.”

Huffing because he knows Seonghwa was right, Hongjoong took the blanket gingerly and wrapped it around himself, snuggling into his cocoon and shuffling deeper in the trunk. Seonghwa just chuckles, watching him.

They sit in silence for a few minutes, letting it settle between them until Seonghwa finally spoke.

“I’m sorry this date wasn’t as good as it should have been.”

Hongjoong’s eyes widened, sitting up straight.

“No, Seonghwa! Don’t apologize for anything. I actually had a lot of fun in our date,” Hongjoong said, smiling. 

“Did you really?”

“I’m serious! I know you brought us to the art museum because you know I love art, and I really appreciate it. I couldn’t have asked for anything better.”

Hongjoong played with the hem of the blanket, his voice filled with deep sincerity. “Thank you for knowing what I like. I hope it was good for you too.”

“It was,” Seonghwa leaned on the back of the seats, eyes focused on their leader. “A little unexpected from how things were, but nothing about our lives can be expected.” They chuckle knowingly, hearing the cameras flash again from a few feet away again. 

A few more beats of silence, then Seonghwa spoke.

“Do you think, maybe in another world, we would have met?”

“Are you flirting with me by using our band’s concept right now?”

Hongjoong chuckles, albeit nervously, but the look in Seonghwa’s eyes doesn’t go away. Instead they deepen.

“In another life, do you think we could have met in school? Become friends?”

There’s a persistence in his voice, unwilling to let Hongjoong escape. And maybe Hongjoong knew he could never escape in the first place. 

Hongjoong goes quiet for a bit in thought, looking up at the stars before he leans forward with knees tucked under his arms.

“How about this? In another universe, we met in high school. I was the artsy, cool-”

“Loser-”

“ _Cool_ , fashion kid. And you’d be the jock-slash-dancer who was the popular kid.” 

Seonghwa chuckles. “Go on.”

“We met in music class in our first year. I’ll be the first one there, then you’d come later on because you’re shy.”

“Your seat is the closest to the exit so I sit next to you reluctantly,” Seonghwa says, causing Hongjoong to playfully push him. “Then ask for your name and give you mine.”

“Then we’d talk and I’ll help you in class because you’re clueless-”

Hongjoong earns a smack to the knee.

“And somehow we become reluctant friends.”

They share a laugh as they imagine the entire scenario playing out. Hongjoong’s not done, and the universe continues.

“We’d bicker at lunch for stupid stuff, and all our friends complain about us being dumb.”

“And they’ll still joke about us being married idiots.”

“And we’ll let it happen because why not.”

Visions appear in Hongjoong’s voice like flashbacks, his ears, ringing with sounds of laughter and voices of unknown friends, and Seonghwa bickering with him about buying him food. As if he’s experienced the entire memory.

“After we graduate, I’ll be a music teacher while you’ll probably teach dance, and we’ll spend our free time talking about our jobs or complain while drunk. Then I’ll drunkenly say something along the lines of, ‘maybe we should have been idols’.”

The mood between them becomes sober, and Hongjoong feels the light wind hit his cheek.

“I’d drunkenly ask you our chances of debuting together.”

This time, Seonghwa’s eyes were on Hongjoong, who looked down from the stars to meet his gaze. The latter feels his heart in his throat. “Then you’ll say?”

Seonghwa looks at him expectantly, but there’s a patience in the way his eyes are wide and honest. Hongjoong can see it all; the two of them at a local restaurant with beer sitting in between, Seonghwa wearing suit and tie while Hongjoong wears a cashmere sweater. They clink their bottles, Seonghwa asks him the question, and Hongjoong says -

“If I’m stuck with you for life now, I’ll be with you then.”

From the way Seonghwa’s eyes widened, Hongjoong knows he wasn’t expecting that kind of answer, especially at how soft Hongjoong’s voice went. He was probably expecting a joke to come out of it, or a tease of being so clingy. But Seonghwa wasn’t expecting such truth in his tone that a deep pressure in his chest forms. It’s all brand new.

“You’re fine with being stuck with me? I’ve heard from Wooyoung and San that I could be unbearable.” Seonghwa jokes, though there’s no denying the serious gaze he gives Hongjoong as he asks. 

Swallowing the sudden lump in his throat, Hongjoong wraps the blanket around him tighter, keeping his eyes locked on the other.

“I’ve heard that once you meet a person in one world, they’re with you for the rest.” Even with the cloth covering him, Seonghwa’s gaze makes him feel naked, _again_. “So I’m fine with it if you are.”

Hongjoong hopes it's dark enough to hide the deep blush in his cheeks, and thanks the noise of the staff near them to drown out his heartbeat. Because truthfully speaking, he doesn’t know how much he can take of the pressure inside of him, mixing in with the tension between the two of them that he could taste with his tongue. Seonghwa’s face is unreadable.

“For life, then?”

Hongjoong doesn’t know what else to do but nod.

“For life.”

*

_The main house was completely silent as the members watched the pair slowly get off the trunk (Wooyoung may have squealed seeing Seonghwa hold out a hand to help Hongjoong get out) and move back to the front, getting ready to leave._

_The camera from the dashboard turns on, and they all watch the way Hongjoong fidgets in his seat, keeping his gaze on the outside as Seonghwa drives out of the mountain and back to the highway. Opposite him, Seonghwa’s eyes stayed on the road, but Yeosang caught his arm inching close to Hongjoong almost unconsciously. As if his body’s reaching out to him naturally._

_Breaking the silence, Yeosang snorts loudly. "Cowards."_

_"Yeosang nooo. They're doing their best!" Mingi exclaimed._

_Yunho yelled from the couch, "You mean to tell me that those two just had the most serious, soul-searching conversation in a date that people usually have when they're **married** and _not _do anything about it? Not even a cheek kiss? Or a kiss-kiss?!"_

_Yeosang threw a pillow at his friend and hit him squarely in the face, rolling his eyes from Yunho's squawk as he fumbled in his seat._

_Next to Yeosang, Jongho kept his eyes on the way Hongjoong avoided eye contact from Seonghwa, but there was no denying the red in his face that turned brighter when Seonghwa's arm touched his._

_"Don't you ever want to just-" He makes a vague motion of his hands squeezing something in between, and San laughed out loud from the image._

_"If we ever try to make them kiss by force, I think Hongjoong hyung would actually kick us out the dorm."_

_"Or thank us."_

_San paused. "Maybe."_

_The group watched as the oldest pair arrives back at the neighborhood and parks the truck in front of their house. Getting out of the vehicle, they waved the staff goodbye and made their way to the front door. Seonghwa walks a few feet behind their leader, and his eyes were entirely on him. As soon as they got inside, the t.v shut off and the boys let out a sigh as the last date was done._

_"Finally, I thought they'd never end," San said._

_Thanking the staff, the boys filed out of the main house and made their way towards their respective houses. Putting an arm around Mingi's shoulder, Yunho waved goodbye to the other pairs and entered his own house with Mingi in tow. After taking off his shoes, he glances out the window towards Hongjoong and Seonghwa's house and sighed._

_"Yunho, what's wrong?" Mingi asked as he stood at the entrance of the kitchen._

_Shaking his head, Yunho gave one last look at the other house before turning away._

_"They are actual idiots."_

_*_

“Hongjoong?” 

Said male places the blanket he brought with him on the sofa gently. A billion thoughts are running through his mind of the entire day, and his heart beats wildly out of his chest. He's never experienced emotions this strongly before, and he doesn't know what to call them. 

Staring down at the blanket, his heart beats wilder and his face heats up a little more and he's _confused._

"Hongjoong."

Startled, Seonghwa's voice finally processed in his brain.

“Yeah, Seonghwa?” He turns to the older with a fake smile. “What is it?”

Seonghwa see’s through him. “The cameras are gone, Hongjoong. It’s just you and me here.”

“I know,” he lets out a tiny breath he didn’t even know he was holding. “I know.”

Seonghwa’s eyes flutter around him as he takes a tentative step back. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable-”

“ _No_ ,” they both flinch from Hongjoong’s outburst, and Hongjoong rubs his hand over his face, suddenly exhausted.

“No, you didn’t. It’s just me. I’m sorry.”

Seonghwa’s mouth slid open before he closed it, and took a few more steps back. Then he held out his hand.

“Come on, you need rest.” His smile is gentle, giving Hongjoong all the space he needs. “A good night's sleep after today will do some good.”

Hongjoong stares at his hand before hesitatingly taking it, thankful that they weren’t shaking as Seonghwa pulls them to the bedroom. They take turns changing in the master bathroom and getting ready for sleep, Hongjoong going last and goes back in the bedroom to see Seonghwa already under the covers. The room was completely dark and the curtains were drawn to keep light out, so he can’t tell if the other’s already asleep.

He slips under the covers as quietly as he could, burying himself under the sheets and faces the opposite wall away from Seonghwa. A few minutes in and his eyelids start drooping when he felt movement next to him.

“Hongjoong,” Seonghwa whispers. “You awake?”

Hongjoong doesn’t answer, afraid of what might come out.

“G’night, Joong.” Seonghwa says softly. Then it goes completely quiet.

Hongjoong falls asleep after, and dreams of high school and a heartbreaking smile right in front of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LADIES, GENTLEMAN, AND ALIENS WHO FOR SOME REASON FOUND THIS FIC!!!!
> 
> Considering this is mostly an interactive fanfic, we would like you the readers to vote on which couple you liked the most from the 4 part date series! Its crucial for the upcoming chapters to know who was the most favored couple, so leave it in the comments of the couple you choose. The choice is all yours.


	8. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yunho and Mingi get a little domestic and by a little I mean a lot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! It's here!!!! Sorry for the extremely late update, but I hope you guys enjoy this chapter filled with nothing but domestic bliss. Hope this makes up for the long wait. Thank you to all the readers who left kudos, comments and voted in our last chapter, promise the results will be revealed soon! Please continue to leave comments and kudos and stay tuned for the next chapter.

**KBS GLOBAL NEWS CHANNEL**

**“For the past week, the country has been brought to surprise by the bold move of idol group ATEEZ and their performance on MBC’s ‘We Got Married’. Never before has South Korea seen blatant expressions of homosexuality, but it seems the idol group have been comfortable by the entire ordeal.**

**ATEEZ, who are known to take in social changes inspired by the leader Kim Hongjoong, are said to have agreed to do the show as it could possibly change the country's belief in heterosexuality as the only norm we accept. 'We Got Married’ has earned the highest week rating in MBC history, beating out the k-dramas ‘Extra-ordinary You’ and ‘Scarlet Heart: Ryeo’, showing its great success from the entirely new concept. However, despite its great performance, reports have heard that a huge divide might be building amongst us, as different generations have expressed split views about the show."**

**_“I’ve been waiting for a group to do this for SO LONG!!!”_ **

**_“Who’s the black haired guy paired with the one named Yeosang? He looks super cute.”_ **

**_“The tall couple look so perfect together, but the loud member is my favorite.”_ **

**_“I think it's so nice that they are doing this. It gives me hope for South Korea.”_ **

  
  
  
  
  
  


**_“I can’t believe these fucking faggots are actually doing this gay shit.”_ **

-

Living with Mingi was perfect. It was everything Yunho dreamed of and more, but what he loved the most was how well they complimented each other in the most domestic of ways. Like how Yunho, who for some reason was always cold when he slept, was finally warm with Mingi by his side, who always ran hot. It’s only been one week, but Yunho just knew this; _they were_ _perfect_.

It was scary that they reached this perfect intimacy in the few short weeks they had been together. Mingi would be up first, brew their coffee, and then by the time Yunho was up there was a bowl of cereal, yes cereal because they weren’t trying to burn their house down (at least not yet) waiting for him with a nice hot cup of coffee. 

This morning was no different. Yunho rolled out of bed, washed his face, brushed his teeth and then finally walked into the kitchen where a steaming hot cup of coffee and a bowl of cereal waited for him.

“You know, we should probably eat something other than cereal in the morning.”

“But we haven’t tried the Coco Pebbles yet.” Mingi said voice clearly still laced with sleep.

“Huh… I guess you’re right. We should attempt a real breakfast  _ after _ we finish that box.”

Mingi nodded agreeing as he stuffed a spoonful of coco puffs in his mouth. Just as Yunho was about to eat his own spoonful, the doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it. You can finish… well start your breakfast.”

Yunho nodded and with a mouthful of cereal said a small, “thanks” to Mingi.

Yunho heard the door open from the kitchen and a set of muffled voices. Soon enough Mingi was walking back to the kitchen with the PD following behind. 

“Good morning PD-nim! Would you like some coffee?”

“Good morning Yunho-ssi and no I’m afraid this is a quick visit.”

“She said she needed to talk to us both so...” Mingi states taking a seat next to Yunho by the counter.

Yunho nodded focusing on the PD, “What’s up?”

“Well you both know that ‘We Got Married’ goes beyond first dates, challenges, first kisses…” both boys nodded, “Well it’s time we get an inside look on how the couples are living.”

This time Mingi and Yunho nodded a bit slower, “So, we’ll be filming your daily lives starting tomorrow. The crew will be by later this evening while you guys are on Weekly Idol and install the cameras.”

“Thanks for letting us know PD-nim.”

The PD nodded, a smile gracing her face, “Of course. Well, I better get going. I have to inform the others.”

“Let me walk you out.” Mingi said getting up and accompanying the PD to the door.

“And they say chivalry is dead.” Was the last thing Yunho heard from the PD.

“We can’t eat cereal on national television!” Both boys said at the same time once Mingi made his way back into the kitchen.

“Jinx!” Yunho said chuckling. It shouldn’t surprise him anymore that he and Mingi basically share one mind.

“Yunho-ah… what are we going to do?”

“Well they won’t start filming until tomorrow right?” Mingi nodded his head, “So tonight, breakfast for dinner? We can practice making breakfast food together and whatever we make best is what we make tomorrow morning.”

Mingi beamed, “I forget how smart you are sometimes.”

Yunho shrugged as a faint blush worked its way onto his cheeks, “What can I say, I’m amazing.”

“You are.” The sincerity behind Mingi’s voice, and the honesty in his eyes made Yunho look away. He couldn’t let himself stare for too long because if he did Yunho knew he would never be able to look away.

-

“You sure you guys don’t want to go with us?” Hongjoong asked for the tenth time since Yunho mentioned that he and Mingi would be leaving separately.

Yunho nodded, “Yes hyung. I told you we have to go grocery shopping.”

Hongjoong nodded and walked out with Seonghwa who had waited for him to exit the building together. 

Yunho turned to Mingi, “You ready to go?”

Mingi nodded his head and the two headed in the same directions as the others had a few minutes earlier, the only difference was the car they were taking would be taking them to the grocery store near their house. It was a bit of a long drive so Yunho pulled out his AirPods and waited for them to connect and then opened the music app on his phone and clicked on his playlist titled, ‘Princess’ and then gave his right AirPod to Mingi who placed it in his ear quickly. 

Yunho was a window watcher, he liked to watch the scenery go by as he listened to music during long car rides, but Mingi was the type to fall asleep five seconds into a long drive. Yunho found it a bit endearing watching Mingi nod off, head slowly falling only for that to wake him up and go right back to sleep. In order to end his misery Yunho unbuckled his seatbelt and moved toward the middle seat, the worst seat if you ask him, and placed Mingi’s head against his shoulder. Mingi let out a small sigh and nuzzled closer to Yunho and okay maybe the middle seat wasn’t so bad.

-

The grocery store was a bit of a disaster if Yunho did say so himself. He was glad that this wasn’t being recorded for the world to see, though he did feel bad for the small amount of people in the actual store. They each grabbed a cart and both had a copy of their grocery list, the goal was to complete the list first. Both boys racing down each aisle to find the same item, yet getting it wrong each time. They ran into each other one too many times and they’d ram their carts into each other every time scaring the other people in the aisle. Yunho did see a few customers leave before even purchasing anything and he sent them a silent apology their way. It was a lot more fun doing it in a grocery store where they didn’t actually know which aisle held what, they definitely couldn’t do this back home because they knew their grocery store like the back of their hands. 

Yunho was turning into aisle 5 when he crashed right into Mingi once again, laughing Yunho spoke first, “We have gotta stop meeting like this.”

Mingi laughed loudly, “I like meeting like this.”

“Mmm, should we just shop together then?”

Mingi smirked as a triumphant gleam appeared in his eye, “I take it you’re forfeiting then?”

Yunho smiled widely, his eyes forming crescents, “If that’s what it takes to shop together…” Yunho tilts his head to the side a little while his smile grows, “Then yes I lose.”

Mingi beams and starts to turn his cart so he could stand next to Yunho, then he places an elbow on the handle while placing his face on his hand, “So… come here often?” Mingi asks while trying and failing to raise an eyebrow at Yunho.

Yunho brings his hand up to his face to cover his embarrassingly wide smile and the faint blush that is making its way onto his cheeks as he subconsciously leans in closer to Mingi.

“For fucks sake just kiss him already,” The teenage girl who had been a witness to the whole interaction yells, clearly tired from seeing the two flirt shamelessly.

Mingi turns his head to the girl, “Not yet, but soon.”

Yunho’s cheeks turn vermillion as he starts to walk away from them both while muttering a small exasperated “children.”

“Aw come on babe it was just a joke! Don’t make me sleep on the couch tonight!” Mingi yelled after Yunho, his voice only growing louder the further he walked away.

Yunho threw him a middle finger as he turned to get the pancake mix in the next aisle, “You’re a fucking idiot if you think we’re sharing a bed tonight.” He yelled before completely walking out of Mingi’s sight.

Mingi giggled before gripping his shopping cart and following after him, “Ahjussi… you guys make a cute couple.” The girl says before he’s out of earshot.

Mingi smiles big and wide, “You think?”

The girl nods, “A bit sickening, but you two definetly belong together.”

Mingi chuckles, “You should tell him that. He stopped listening to me.”

“Mingi-ah!” Yunho yells from aisle six.

Mingi shakes his head a bit and instead of clearing the girls confusion he says something else, “I really can’t keep him waiting or he might actually force me to sleep on the couch tonight.”

Mingi quickly went to join Yunho, “What took you so long?”

Mingi shrugged his shoulders, “Thought you’d hit me if I joined you too soon.”

Yunho laughed, “You know me too well.”

Mingi looked at Yunho, “Of course.”

For a second the two got lost in each other's eyes, before a short and loud announcement made their eye contact end.

“Shit, we only have ten minutes before they close and we haven’t even gotten everything.” 

“Let’s just check what we have between the two of us.”

It was fitting that the groceries Yunho missed, Mingi managed to get.

-

The kitchen looked as if a hurricane had run through it. There was no better explanation in all honesty.

“What the… what the fuck did you guys do?!” Seonghwa yelled as soon as he saw the mess that littered over the counters, including the kitchen island.

“We uh… made dinner?” Yunho said as he stepped into the kitchen hair covered in something creamy that was dripping down the side of his face.

“Dinner?”

Mingi nods and a bit of pancake powder mix sprinkles out of his hair, “We might’ve gotten out of hand…”

“No shit. It looks like you’re both wearing it.”

“We had a bit of a…fight.”

“Hyung, you’re not supposed to play with your food.” Jongho said sternly as he wiped the batter off of Yunho’s face.

“In my defense, Mingi started it.” Yunho mumbled

“WHAT?! No I didn’t! Don’t make me throw another egg at you.”

Yunho playfully smirked at Mingi, “You’re just mad I threw one at you first.”

Mingi rolled his eyes playfully, then San made his presence known, “How did you guys even start this?”

“We leave you alone for two hours” Seonghwa mutters as the members sit on the chairs by the kitchen island watching as Mingi and Yunho plate the edible pancakes to serve them while cleaning their mess.

Yunho chuckled, “It would have been fine if Mingi didn’t call me a bad chef…”

**30 Minutes ago:**

“Well if we buy a waffle maker we can also make waffles.” Yunho says as he puts the perishables in the fridge while Mingi puts the non-perishables in the pantry.

“But I don’t want to eat waffles and pancakes every day…” Mingi voices.

“We can make kimchi fried rice too… or head to Wooyoung and San’s place. Woo has been wanting to cook for a while, so he’ll probably make something for San every chance he gets.”

Mingi hummed as he placed the pancake mix on the countertop next to the milk and eggs. “But I want to eat something edible. Woo barely started to take an interest in cooking.”

Yunho let out a one syllable laugh, “What makes you think we’re going to make something edible?”

Mingi sighed looking at the ingredients both he and Yunho left out, “You’re right, and with you it might actually be worse.”

Yunho hits Mingi’s shoulder hard, “Yah! What’s that supposed to mean?!”

Mingi shook his head and raised his head up in surrender, “Nothing…let’s just get started.”

Yunho gave Mingi a suspicious nod before grabbing a bowl and pouring pancake mix into it. After mixing in the egg and the milk and making sure there were no lumps, Yunho put the pan on the stove while Mingi handed him the butter. Yunho then used a butter knife to cut up a piece of butter and used it to spread the butter on the pan, then he used a ladle and poured the first of the pancake batter in the pan.

“That doesn’t exactly look… round,” Mingi said as he saw the square, or maybe oval, looking pancake cooking on the pan.

“Sh-shut up, I still need to flip it!”

“I don’t think that’s what’ll make it round…”

Yunho huffed loudly as he flipped his non-circular pancake, “Like you could do any better…”

“I can and I will!” Mingi shouted as he grabbed the spatula out of Yunho’s hand, “Watch me.”

Mingi managed to place the batter in the pan and make it look circular, but he had taken entirely too long on the flip and burnt the bottom, “I watched and I’m not impressed… at least  _ I  _ didn’t burn my pancake.”

Mingi gave Yunho the middle finger as he stepped away from the stove and let Yunho take over. “That’s what I thought.” Yunho says confidently as he takes the spatula out of Mingi’s hand.

After a few more pancakes made it off the stove, Mingi went to nibble on one of them. “So…are they good?”

Now Mingi was feeling just a little bit mad that his attempt at making pancakes was a fail, but he definitely didn’t want to give Yunho the satisfaction of knowing that his horribly shaped pancakes actually tasted delicious. “You know… I may not be a good chef, but at least I’m not a bad one.”

Yunho gasped, “D-do they actually taste bad?” Yunho asked as he ripped a piece off the same mis-shaped pancake Mingi had bitten on. “Mingi you fucking liar! My pancakes are terrific!”

“I helped make the batter! So technically speaking  _ our _ pancakes are terrific.”

Yunho grabbed an egg out of the cartoon on the counter, “Unbelievable… If you weren’t sleeping on the couch before, you sure are now.” Then Yunho turned to Mingi and cracked the egg right over his head.

Mingi gasped extremely loudly then he placed his hands over his heart and acted as if had been shot. “H-how could you? To me your own husband?”

“I broke an egg over your head… and technically we’re not married yet.”

Mingi gained his composure back and leaned against the counter hand suspiciously near the pancake batter. “Mhm but you said it yourself… yet.” Then Mingi quickly grabbed the bowl and dumped all the content on Yunho’s hair.

Now it was Yunho who was gasping loudly while Mingi was doubled over in laughter. Without much thought Yunho grabbed the bag of pancake mix and poured it over Mingi’s head. Mingi’s head snapped up immediately and he saw Yunho arm himself with the eggs. Mingi's eyes landed on the nearest thing he could get a hold of, the unopened bag of chocolate chips. Yunho laughed at Mingi’s poor choice in weapon and gave Mingi an evil stare as he grabbed an egg and launched it at Mingi. Mingi with all his long limbs managed to just barely dodge it and the egg ended up cracking on the ground.

“I won’t miss next time.” Yunho said as he grabbed another egg. Mingi yelped and ran towards the other side of the counter near the sink. Mingi saw the perfect weapon and quickly turned on the water and grabbed the sink hose.

“If you throw an egg at me I’ll spray you!”

“You wouldn’t…”

“I would!” 

So Yunho decided to call his bluff and threw the egg. The moment Mingi saw the egg coming straight at him he pointed the hose towards Yunho and pressed the button and the water sprayed Yunho directly as the egg landed square on Mingi’s chest. Now Yunho, and their kitchen island, were drenched, while Mingi’s black shirt was soaking in the egg that he was covered in.

“Song Mingi I am going to kill you!” Yunho screamed as he ran towards Mingi. Mingi of course was no fool and ran away the moment he saw Yunho’s intentions. Yunho emptied out the carton of eggs while chasing Mingi up and down the kitchen, some managed to land on him, while others either hit the floor or their countertops.

For one second Mingi felt a bit lucky, he was running faster than Yunho, but he seemed to forget the crucial fact that he was in socks and the eggs on the floor were now actually harder to avoid. His luck had in fact run out. 

Mingi stepped to his right to avoid the edge of the countertop, but he miscalculated his step. Mingi slipped on an egg, the loud thump of landing on his back resonated for a few seconds and then the whole kitchen was filled with Yunho’s laughter.

“A-a-are y-you okay?” Yunho asked in between his laughter.

MIngi groaned loudly, “Stop laughing and help me up instead.”

Yunho stepped over Mingi and extended his arms out to him as his body still shook with laughter, Mingi was struck with the best idea. Instead of allowing Yunho to pull him up, Mingi yanked hard which made Yunho fall down and land right on top of him with a loud ‘oomph’.

“W-why would you do that?” Yunho asked a bit breathless as he slightly raised himself off of Mingi with his arms.

Mingi looked at Yunho, eyes shining as he looked at him, “Pay back?” Mingi smirked, “Or maybe I just wanted you on top of me.”

Yunho’s eyes widened and he let out a breathless laugh, “We… we should probably clean this up…” Yunho’s words trailed off as he got lost in Mingi’s eyes.

“We probably should…” Mingi whispered back. Yet instead of either boy getting up off the floor, Yunho was leaning in and Mingi’s eyes were slowly closing.

They were a breath away, just a little bit more and their lips would touch, but the spell was broken all too soon when a loud scream made Yunho’s head snap back and he was off the floor in an instant.

“What the… what the fuck did you guys do?!” Seonghwa yelled as soon as he saw the mess that littered over the counters, including the kitchen island.

**

**Present:**

The rest of the evening was filled with the members helping Yunho and Mingi clean up the kitchen. They had dinner as eight for the first time since the show started. No one said it, but they all knew, it was because this would be their last day of privacy in their own home. Starting tomorrow almost everything would be on camera. Tonight was the last time they could breathe and just be them without the weight of a camera. So they talked and talked about nothing and everything. No secrets of the universe were discovered, there weren't any meaningful words spoken, but it was the eight of them and that was enough.

**

_ The alarm woke Yunho up at six in the morning. He grabbed his phone and started scrolling through his private social media accounts, all part of his morning routine, then after about 10 minutes Yunho got out of bed. He looked sleepily into the camera, the camera that had the red flickering light signifying that it was on, then he placed a finger to his lips making the ‘sh’ sound and then pointed to Mingi who was still very much asleep on the other side of the bed. _

_ He headed to the bathroom where he got ready for the day and by the time he walked out he was refreshed and ready to start the day. _

_ He headed toward the kitchen letting out a satisfying breath of relief as he saw it being squeaky clean,  _ **_thank you Seonghwa hyung._ **

_ He started to get out all the ingredients to make pancakes, eggs, and bacon. It was a bit too American for his liking, but it was also the easiest thing to make. The fire alarm was not set off in the making of his still square looking pancakes. Yunho was whistling as he went to flip a relatively oval looking pancake when he felt a pair of arms around his waist. His pancake was not perfectly flipped this time. _

_ “Smells really good.” Mingi said in his hoarse morning voice as he placed his chin over Yunho’s shoulder. _

_ The fluttering in his stomach that Yunho had managed to always keep at bay came back ten fold when Mingi pressed his back against his chest. “It’ll be ready soon.” _

_ “Coffee?” _

_ “Just push the button.” _

_ With one last squeez Mingi went to the coffee maker and pressed the little ‘brew’ button, then he went to sit at the counter as he watched Yunho turn off the burner as the last pancake came out. “Should I make breakfast tomorrow?” _

_ Yunho laughed at that, “I’ve got it.” _

_ “Don’t laugh!” _

_ “You burned the pancake yesterday!” _

_ “You can’t even make them round!” _

_ “I prefer square pancakes over burned ones any day!” _

_ “I- actually I do too.” _

_ Yunho laughed loudly as he placed their plates over the counter and joined Mingi at the counter. “Dig in.” _

_ ** _

_ Surprisingly sometimes it was easy to forget the cameras were turned on. Yunho and Mingi would get home exhausted from their daily schedules that when it was time to unwind it came naturally. _

_ “So what movie did you pick?” Yunho asked as he placed the huge bowl of popcorn on their coffee table. _

_ They had just finished a long recording session and Mingi suggested they have a movie night when they get home. _

_ “Starting off strong with ‘Train to Busan’.” _

_ “Oh yeah, we wanted to watch that together.” _

_ Mingi nodded as he pressed play on the movie. _

_ “No…” Yunho whispered as he gripped Mingi’s hand. “No, Mingi no!” Tears were flowing freely from both their eyes as the character ‘Sanghwa’ got bitten. _

_ “Why?! What about the baby?!” Mingi yelled at the screen as Yunho snuggled closer to him. _

_ More tears flowed down their faces as they held each other when ‘Sanghwa’ named his unborn baby. _

_ As the movie neared its end Yunho was lightly punching Mingi’s arm, “Why? Why did you pick this movie?” Tears coming down full force. _

_ “Zombie movies aren’t supposed to be sad okay?! I didn’t know…” Mingi said voice cracking as ‘Seokwoo’ remembered the day his daughter was born. _

_ “I hate this! He doesn’t have to die!” _

_ “He was finally being a good dad.” _

_ “No!” They both yelled as ‘Seokwoo’ fell off the train. Their crying increased as they saw his daughter singing the song she couldn’t finish. _

_ After the movie credits began playing Yunho spoke first, “We need a palate cleanser.” _

_ “What movie?” _

_ “Hm… let's watch ‘Tangled’!” _

_ Mingi nodded in agreement and searched up the movie and pressed play once he found it. There were no tears this time, but half way through the movie they both ended up falling asleep. The tears shed tired them out after their long day in the studio. _

_ ** _

_ Mingi woke up the moment he felt a massive weight on top of him. “What the-” _

_ “It’s Saturday! It’s cleaning day!” _

_ Mingi groaned loudly, “I don’t want to….” _

_ Yunho nuzzled his face into Mingi’s stomach, “But we have to….” _

_ Mingi brought his hand to Yunho’s hair, “Fine… But only if I get to pick the music.” _

_ Yunho rolled his eyes, but agreed anyway. _

_ They each took sections and cleaned them as music played through the built in speakers of their house. They opened all the windows to freshen up their house and for the natural light to come into their lovely beach house. _

_ They had agreed to clean the living room together since it was the biggest room in their home. There was much too hardwood floor to clean for one person or at least that’s what Mingi told Yunho to convince him to help. _

_ “Yah stop dancing and clean!” Yunho yelled over the music as he saw Mingi twirl around the mop. _

_ Mingi laughed as he was caught and instead of stopping he dropped the mop and gilded towards Yunho, “Dance with me.” _

_ “Mingi…” _

_ Mingi gave Yunho a wide smile as he pulled him closer and made Yunho spin before catching him. _

_ Yunho let out small giggles the entire time, “This isn’t a slow song.” _

_ “Then let's make it one.” _

_ Yunho chuckled, “You can’t make “Single Ladies” a slow song.” _

_ Mingi pulled Yunho closer, leading Yunho’s arms to wrap around his neck as Mingi placed his on Yunho’s waist. “Well look at that we’re making it a slow song.” _

_ Yunho smiled big and bright and Mingi swore the sun started shining a bit brighter and felt a bit warmer. “I concede. This is a slow song.” _

_ Mingi twirled Yunho around once more before the song changed. ‘Dive’ by Ed Sheeran was playing. Mingi pulled Yunho closer and placed his forehead on Yunho’s as the slow danced in a circle in their living room. Yunho sang some words here and there barely above a whisper. _

_ ** _

_ “Hurry up we’re going to be late!” Yunho yelled at Mingi. _

_ “Give me a minute I’m almost done!” _

_ Yunho rolled his eyes, but waited for Mingi on the couch. They had to be at the main house in five minutes and of course Mingi did not give himself enough time to get ready. Yunho heard Mingi’s footsteps approaching and stood up. “Are you finally ready.”  _

_ “Yup. Remember we’re going for a walk after okay.” _

_ “Yes yes, now let's go before we’re actually late.” _

_ The two boys walked toward the main house where the rest of the members were already waiting for them. _

_ They were seated quickly as the PD settled in her spot behind the camera. “Welcome back boys.” The PD said after the camera was turned on. _

_ The eight of them did their greeting and bowed their heads. _

_ “Do you guys know why you’re here today?” _

_ The eight of them shook their heads. _

_ The PD clapped her hands, “Well you guys are here today because you guys are starting your missions.” _

_ All eight of them dropped their jaws. Seonghwa and Hongjoong looked a little more panicked than the rest. _

_ “W-who’s up first?” Jongho asked tentatively. _

_ The PD smiled, “Mingi and Yunho of course.” _

_ The said two pointed at themselves, eyes wide as the PD smiled and nodded. _

_ “You two will be meeting your respective partners parents and asking them for permission to marry your partner.” _

_ “How much time do we have?” _

_ “A week… good luck.” _

_ ** _

The breeze felt wonderful as they walked through the small park Mingi had found when he went wandering around. It made the blazing hot feeling of the sun simmer a bit.

“What flowers should I get for your eomma?” Mingi asked after they walked for a bit.

“If you think my eomma will give you permission just because you bring flowers you’re wrong.” Yunho answered jokingly.

“Mm, who said I would only be bringing flowers? I have to woo your parents, flowers are just step one.”

Yunho chuckled, “Should I warn my parents?”

“Nope!” Mingi said, stepping in front of Yunho, “Your parents are going to  _ love  _ me.”

The sun was beaming behind Mingi giving his red hair a bit of a glow. The warmth Yunho felt combined with the breeze made Yunho’s heart stop and maybe if he could say it right there out into the open where the breeze could take his words and carry them away he would. So he settled for words he could say, “Yea.. they will love you.” Mingi’s smile grew and then he extended his hand towards Yunho.

They continued walking, hand in hand, Mingi pointing out shapes in the cloud that Yunho pretended to see as well. And yea he knew from the way his heart fluttered and the way his cheeks hurt that his parents would love him.


End file.
